The Cannes purple carpet sprang to life once more Tuesday with the premiere of the Louis XV interval drama “Jeanne du Barry,” with Johnny Depp, because the French Riviera film pageant launched a star-studded and doubtlessly controversy-rife 76th version.
Throngs of onlookers shouted “Johnny!” as Depp, in purple-hued sun shades signed autographs and edged again into the highlight following his explosive trial final yr with ex-wife Amber Heard. “Louis XV,” directed and co-starring Maïwenn, has been billed as Depp’s comeback — although his outstanding presence at Cannes has been hotly debated.
A coterie of stars streamed down Cannes’ well-known purple carpet for the opening evening ceremony, together with Brie Larson, Uma Thurman, Gong Li, Elle Fanning, Catherine Deneuve (who graces this yr’s pageant poster) and a blue-haired Helen Mirren, who carried a fan labeled #worthit.
Michael Douglas, who was to obtain an honorary Palme d’Or on the opening evening ceremony, walked the carpet along with his spouse, Catherine Zeta-Jones and their daughter, Carys Zeta Douglas.
This yr’s pageant guarantees a Côte d’Azur buffet of spectacle, scandal and cinema set to be served over the following 12 days. It’s unspooling in opposition to the backdrop of labor unrest. Protests which have roiled France in latest months over modifications to its pension system are deliberate to run throughout the pageant, albeit at a distance from the pageant’s major hub.
Meanwhile, an ongoing strike by screenwriters in Hollywood might have unpredictable results on the French Riviera pageant.
“My wife is currently picketing with my 6-month-old, strapped to her chest,” Paul Dano, a juror, mentioned Tuesday, referencing Zoe Kazan. “I will be there on the picket line when I get back home.”
But with a pageant lined with some much-anticipated big-budget movies, together with James Mangold’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of the Destiny” and Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” the get together is certain to go on, regardless. Stars set to hit Cannes’ purple carpet within the subsequent week and a half embody Natalie Portman, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Sean Penn, Alicia Vikander, the Weeknd and Scarlett Johansson.
Earlier Tuesday, the jury that can determine the pageant’s prime prize, the Palme d’Or, was launched. Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund, a two-time Palme winner who final yr gained for the social satire “The Triangle of Sadness,” is presiding over a jury including Dano, Larson, Argentine filmmaker Damián Szifron, Afghan director Atiq Rahimi, French actor Denis Ménochet, Moroccan filmmaker Maryam Tourzani, Zambian-Welsh director Rungano Nyoni and French director Julia Ducournau, who in 2019 became the second female filmmaker to win the Palme d’Or for “Titane.”
Östlund, 49, questioned whether or not he may need been handed the chance a decade too quickly. But whereas addressing the press, Östlund — whose “The Triangle of Sadness” was nominated for finest image on the Academy Awards — made it clear the place his allegiances lie.
“If I can choose between an Oscar and a Palme d’Or, it’s an easy choice,” said Östlund. “I would rather have one more (Palme) than have an Oscar.”
The opening evening choice has attracted some controversy. “Jeanne du Barry,” which concurrently opened in French theaters Tuesday, was produced following the much-watched 2022 trial throughout which each Depp and Heard accused one another of bodily and verbal abuse. A civil jury awarded Depp $10 million in damages and $2 million to Heard.
Maïwenn has made headlines just lately, too. The French actor-director has been accused of spitting at outstanding French journalist Edwy Plenel.
In remarks to the press Monday, Cannes director Thierry Fremaux defended the selection, praised Depp as an actor and mentioned he paid no consideration to the trial.
“To tell you the truth, in my life, I only have one rule, it’s the freedom of thinking, the freedom of speech and the freedom to act within a legal framework,” mentioned Fremaux. “If Johnny Depp had been banned from acting in a film, or the film was banned we wouldn’t be here talking about it.”
For extra protection of this yr’s Cannes Film Festival, go to: https://apnews.com/hub/cannes-film-festival
Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
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