Maïwenn opens Les Films de Cannes at
Timișoara (October 19) and Bucharest (October 20)
Maïwenn, the actress and director who opened the Cannes Film Festival, is also set to make appearances at the two editions of Les Films de Cannes this year in Timișoara and Bucharest. Her film, Jeanne du Barry, is inspired by the true story of a courtesan, portrayed by Maïwenn herself, who was the last favorite of King Louis XV (Johnny Depp). The director will present the film on October 19th at Cinema Timiș in Timișoara and on October 20th at Elvire Popesco in Bucharest. The directors Catherine Corsini (Le Retour) and Lubna Playoust (Chambre 999) have announced their participation at the festival in both cities. They will engage with the audience during the Q&A sessions following the respective screenings.
In Timișoara, the festival films will be screened at the Victoria and Timiș cinemas. The Timiș Cinema, featuring a main hall with over 500 seats, is reopening this weekend. Les Films de Cannes à Timișoara will be the first festival hosted in this traditional venue located in the center of Timișoara. The Victoria Cinema was reopened last year.
Jeanne Vaubernier, the daughter of a seamstress determined to climb the social ladder, uses her charm to escape poverty. When King Louis XV falls in love with her, Jeanne becomes the official favorite. However, no one at the court wishes for a girl from the streets to have influence at Versailles.
Maïwenn began her acting career at a very young age, and audiences worldwide recognize her for her role as Diva Plavalaguna in Luc Besson’s cult film, The Fifth Element (1997). As a director and screenwriter, Maïwenn draws significant inspiration from her personal life. She directed Pardonnez-moi/Forgive Me (2006), Le bal des actrices/All About Actresses (2009), featuring Charlotte Rampling, Julie Depardieu, Karin Viard, and many other well-known figures in French cinema, Mon roi/My King (2015), which competed at Cannes, and ADN/DNA (2020), where Fanny Ardant plays the mother of Maïwenn’s character. The 2011 film Polisse earned her the Jury Prize at Cannes and immense success at the box office. Jeanne du Barry opened the Cannes Film Festival in 2023, marking Johnny Depp’s return to the Croisette. Maïwenn will present her film on October 19th in Timișoara and on October 20th in Bucharest.
Le Retour follows Khédidja, who works for a wealthy Parisian family that sends her to Corsica to care for their children during the summer. She brings along her teenage daughters, Jessica and Farah, to Corsica, the island they left 15 years ago under tragic circumstances. The film is a coming-of-age story, an emotionally charged family narrative with humor, exploring and questioning the ways in which lies can shape a family.
Catherine Corsini has been a familiar name at film festivals since 1999. Among her most renowned works are Leaving/Partir (2009), featuring Kristin Scott Thomas, a remarkable success in cinemas both in France and worldwide, Three Worlds/Trois Mondes (2012), Summertime/La Belle Saison (2016), a love story between two women in 1970s France, and An Impossible Love/Un Amour Impossible, adapted from Christine Angot’s eponymous novel. The Divide/La Fracture (2021) is a politically charged comedy revolving around the violent protests in France, experienced at a hospital by a woman abandoned by her lover. Catherine Corsini returned to compete at Cannes in 2023 with Le Retour. The director will be present for a Q&A session following the film screenings in Timișoara and Bucharest.
Room 999/Chambre 999 is a remake of Wim Wenders’ cult film, Room 666/Chambre 666 (1982), which interviewed, one by one, in the same hotel room, 16 prominent directors of that era about the future of cinema under the threat of television. Forty years later, director Lubna Playoust revisits Wenders’ question in the context of streaming platforms, addressing it to 30 of the most interesting directors of our time, including Wim Wenders, Claire Denis, David Cronenberg, Asghar Farhadi, Alice Rohrwacher, Olivier Assayas, and others.
Born in Italy and raised in Paris, Lubna Playoust is a French director and actress. Room 999/Chambre 999 is her debut feature film. The director will be present for a Q&A session following the film screenings in Timișoara and Bucharest.
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The festival schedule, film information, and guest details will be available on www.filmedefestival.ro and on the social media accounts Facebook and Instagram.
Jeanne du Barry is distributed in Romania by Independența Film and will be released in cinemas on November 10th.
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Les Films de Cannes à Bucarest Festival is presented by Orange Romania, a traditional partner of the event.
Inspired by: UniCredit Bank
With the support of: Pepsi, Catena, Groupama
A cultural project financed by: The Romanian Film Centre, SACD / Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques, the French Embassy in Romania and the French Institute in Romania, and the Italian Cultural Institute.
Partners: Mercure Hotel, Avanpost, Abator, Cinema Muzeul Țăranului, Arhiva Națională de Filme – Cinemateca Română, Europa Cinemas, Aparterre, Air France, Cărturești, Ototo
Les Films de Cannes à Bucarest is a project co-financed by the Bucharest City Hall through ARCUB within the Bucharest – Affective City 2023 programme. For more detailed information about the financing program of the Bucharest mayorship through ARCUB, please visit www.arcub.ro.
Media Partners: PRO TV, RockFM, Agerpres, Libertatea, Elle România, Scena9, Revista Biz, Haute Culture Magazine, Zile și Nopți, IQads, Igloo, Cultura la Dubă, Films in Frame
Cultural partner: RFI România
**The content of this material does not necessarily represent the official position of the Bucharest City Hall or that of ARCUB.
