This year, it is Maïwenn, with her film Jeanne du Barry, who will have the honor of opening the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival on May 16, the organizers announced on Wednesday April 5. This historical drama marks the big return to the screen of Johnny Depp after the judicial soap opera which pitted him against his former wife Amber Heard, against a backdrop of accusations of domestic violence and then mutual accusations of defamation.
The sixth feature film by the 46-year-old French actress and director (after Polisse, Jury Prize in 2011, Mon Roi or ADN) “will be projected (…) on the screen of the Grand Théâtre Lumière, after the ceremony opening night broadcast live,” they continue.
Jeanne du Barry by Maïwenn opening
Jeanne du Barry is “dedicated to the life, rise and fall of King Louis XV’s favorite”, played by Maïwenn herself. Johnny Depp embodies the French sovereign and gives the reply to French actors like Pierre Richard, Benjamin Lavernhe or India Hair.
Two American films which will be screened on the Croisette are also known. They are Killers of the Flowers Moon, by Martin Scorsese, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, by James Mangold.
