Nine years after the remarkable Holy Motors, presented in competition, Leos Carax will unveil in Cannes his new feature, a film eagerly awaited by cinephiles around the world. Annette, Carax’s first film in English, will open the Cannes 74th International Film Festival on Tuesday 6 July.
Set in contemporary Los Angeles, Annette tells the story of Henry, a stand-up comedian with a fierce sense of humour and Ann, a singer of international renown. In the spotlight, they are the perfect couple, healthy, happy, and glamourous. The birth of their first child, Annette, a mysterious girl with an exceptional destiny, will change their lives.
Produced by Charles Gillibert and lensed by Caroline Champetier, Annette, the director’s sixth feature film, based on Carax’s original idea, featuring a soundtrack composed by Sparks and starring Marion Cotillard, Adam Driver and Simon Helberg, will premiere internationally and will enter the competition, following the opening ceremony at the Grand Théâtre Lumière in Cannes’ Palais des festivals. It will simultaneously be released in French cinemas.
“Every Leos Carax film is an event. And this one delivers on its promises! Annette is the gift that lovers of cinema, music and culture were hoping for, one that we have been yearning for during the past year,” said Pierre Lescure, President of the Festival de Cannes.
“We couldn’t have dreamed of a more beautiful reunion with cinema and the silver screen, in the Palais des Festivals where films come to assert their splendour,” concluded Thierry Frémaux, general delegate. “Carax’s cinema is an expression of these powerful gestures, these mysterious alchemies that makes the secret of cinema’s modernity and eternity.”
