Maïwenn’s “Jeanne du Barry” to Open the 76th Festival de Cannes
The world premiere of “Jeanne du Barry”, directed by Maïwenn, and starring Johnny Depp, will open the 76th Festival de Cannes. The film will be presented on Tuesday, May 16, on the big screen of the Grand Théâtre Lumière after the opening ceremony.
In the director’s sixth feature, “Jeanne du Barry”, Maïwenn herself plays the eponymous main character alongside Johnny Depp, Benjamin Lavernhe, Melvil Poupaud, Pierre Richard, Pascal Greggory, and India Hair. The film recounts the life, rise and fall of the King Louis XV’s favourite. Jeanne Vaubernier, a young working-class woman hungry for culture and pleasure, uses her intelligence and allure to climb the rungs of the social ladder one by one. She becomes the favourite of King Louis XV, who, unaware of her status as a courtesan, regains through her his appetite for life. They fall madly in love. Against all propriety and etiquette, Jeanne moves to Versailles, where her arrival scandalizes the court.
Maïwenn, a director, screenwriter, actress, and producer, debuted with “Pardonnez-moi” in 2006. Her cinema is already imbued with an unavoidable reality, freely inspired by her own life to shape her characters and intrigues. Identity quest, self-building, and family at large: all these aspects are at the center of her work.
In 2011, the director won the Jury Prize at the Festival de Cannes for her first Selection in the Competition for “Polisse”. Four years later, she returned in Official Selection with “My King”, which earned Emmanuelle Bercot the Best Actress award.
The 76th Festival de Cannes opening ceremony will be broadcast live on Tuesday, May 16, on France Télévisions and Brut. The traditional “Opening Operation” in French cinemas (ceremony and film) will be renewed the same evening with the support of La Fédération Nationale des Cinémas Français and in partnership with France Télévisions and Brut.
“Jeanne du Barry”, a film by Maïwenn. Starring: Maïwenn, Johnny Depp, Benjamin Lavernhe, Melvil Poupaud, Pierre Richard, Pascal Greggory, India Hair. Screenplay: Maïwenn, Teddy Lussi-Modeste, Nicolas Livecchi. Production: Why Not Productions. Distribution in France: Le Pacte. Internationale sales: Goodfellas (ex-Wild Bunch International)
The 76th Festival de Cannes will take place from May 16 to 27, 2023. The Official Selection will be revealed in mid-April.