Johnny Depp and ‘Jeanne du Barry’ launch the Cannes Film Festival 2023 on Tuesday
On Tuesday, the 76th Cannes Film Festival ignites the Cannes red carpet once again with the premiere of the Louis XV period drama “Jeanne du Barry,” featuring Johnny Depp. Over the next 12 days, this year’s festival guarantees an extravagant blend of spectacle, scandal, and cinema along the Cote d’Azur. Amidst ongoing labor unrest, protests sparked by France’s pension system reforms are scheduled to coincide with the festival, although they will take place away from the festival’s primary center.
The French Riviera festival could face unpredictable consequences due to the ongoing strike by screenwriters in Hollywood.
Despite the ongoing strike by screenwriters in Hollywood, the festival remains packed with highly anticipated big-budget films such as James Mangold’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of the Destiny” and Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon.” The star-studded event will proceed as planned, with renowned celebrities like Natalie Portman, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Sean Penn, Alicia Vikander, the Weeknd, and Scarlett Johansson gracing the Cannes red carpet over the next week and a half.
The opening day festivities will commence with an opening ceremony, during which Michael Douglas will be honored with a Palme d’Or. Later, Harrison Ford, the star of “Indiana Jones,” will also be presented with the prestigious award.
Additionally, the jury responsible for determining the festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or, will be introduced.
Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund, a two-time Palme winner known for his social satire “The Triangle of Sadness,” takes the helm as the jury president for this year’s festival.
Joining Östlund are esteemed members including Brie Larson, Paul Dano, French director Julia Ducournau, Argentine filmmaker Damián Szifron, Afghan director Atiq Rahimi, French actor Denis Ménochet, Moroccan filmmaker Maryam Tourzani, and Zambian-Welsh director Rungano Nyoni.
The opening night film choice has generated controversy as the French actor-director Maïwenn’s film “Jeanne du Barry,” in which she co-stars with Johnny Depp as Louis XV, was selected.
This film marks Depp’s return to the big screen following his highly publicized trial last year involving his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
Both Depp and Heard made allegations of physical and verbal abuse against each other, resulting in a civil jury awarding Depp $10 million in damages and $2 million to Heard.
Cannes director Thierry Fremaux defended the selection during a press conference on Monday, emphasizing that Depp’s performance in the film is exceptional and asserting that he disregarded the trial entirely.
Johnny Depp and ‘Jeanne du Barry’ launch the Cannes Film Festival 2023 on Tuesday
Fremaux stated, “To be honest, I abide by one principle in my life, which is the freedom of thought, freedom of expression, and the freedom to act within the boundaries of the law. If Johnny Depp had faced a ban from acting in a film or if the film itself had been prohibited, our discussion here would not exist.”
