Marion Cotillard and Adam Driver's 'Annette' to open film festival
The 74th season of the Cannes film festival is defined to open the ceremony with the new drama from French director Leos Carax- 'Annette', on July 6. Announcing the premiere, Cannes Festival Director Thierry Fremaux said, "We couldn't have imagined a more beautiful reunion with cinema and the big screen, in the Palais des festivals where films come to say their splendor". "Carax's cinema can be an expression of these powerful gestures, these mysterious alchemies that produce the trick of cinema's modernity and eternity," added Thierry, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Set in contemporary LA, 'Annette' tells the story of a superficially perfect couple: Henry (Driver), a stand-up comedian with a fierce love of life, and Ann (Cotillard), a world-famous singer. However the birth of their first child, named Annette, changes both of their lives forever. 'Annette' marks Carax's first feature because the 2012 cult hit Holy Motors, which also premiered in Cannes.
The flick is slated to release in France on July 6, 2021, by UGC Distribution, the day of its Cannes premiere. As a result of ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Cannes Film Festival has been pushed back from its usual dates in May to July and will run July 6-17. Last year's event, that was canceled, was replaced by a low-key event in October showcasing short films but without the A-list celebrities, directors and producers. American film director Spike Lee, who was simply named jury president for Cannes in January 2020 but was never in a position to serve because of the event's cancellation, is likely to lead the 2021 jury.
