Stars grace the Cannes pink carpet as pageant kicks off

Throngs of onlookers shouted “Johnny!” as Depp, in purple-hued sun shades signed autographs and edged again into the highlight following his explosive trial final 12 months with ex-wife Amber Heard. “Jeanne du Barry,” directed and co-starring Maïwenn, has been billed as Depp’s comeback — although his distinguished presence at Cannes has been hotly debated.

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A coterie of stars streamed down Cannes’ well-known pink carpet for the opening evening ceremony, together with Brie Larson, Uma Thurman, Gong Li, Elle Fanning, Catherine Deneuve and a blue-haired Helen Mirren, who carried a fan labeled #worthit.

Catherine Deneuve poses for photographers upon arrival on the opening ceremony and the premiere of the movie ‘Jeanne du Barry’ on the 76th worldwide movie pageant, Cannes, southern France, Tuesday, Could 16, 2023. (AP)

Through the opening ceremony, Michael Douglas obtained an honorary Palme d’Or, together with his spouse, Catherine Zeta-Jones and their daughter, Carys Zeta Douglas, trying on from the viewers.

Carys Zeta Douglas, from left, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones pose for photographers upon arrival on the opening ceremony and the premiere of the movie ‘Jeanne du Barry’ on the 76th worldwide movie pageant, Cannes, southern France, Tuesday, Could 16, 2023. (AP)

“I’m even older than the pageant,” mentioned Douglas, 78, after receiving a heat standing ovation.

Douglas and Deneuve formally declared open a pageant that guarantees a Côte d’Azur buffet of spectacle, scandal and cinema set to be served over the following 12 days.

It’s unspooling in opposition to the backdrop of labor unrest. Protests which have roiled France in latest months over modifications to its pension system are deliberate to run throughout the pageant, albeit at a distance from the pageant’s predominant hub.

In the meantime, an ongoing strike by screenwriters in Hollywood may have unpredictable results on the French Riviera pageant.

“My spouse is presently picketing with my 6-month-old, strapped to her chest,” Paul Dano, a juror, mentioned Tuesday, referencing Zoe Kazan. “I can be there on the picket line after I get again residence.”

However with a pageant lined with some much-anticipated big-budget movies, together with James Mangold’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of the Future” and Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” the occasion is bound to go on, regardless.

The official poster for ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Future’ is pictured outdoors the doorway of the Carlton lodge forward of the Cannes movie pageant, in Cannes, southern France, Monday, Could 15, 2023. The 76th version of the movie pageant runs from Could 16 till Could 27. (AP)

Stars set to hit Cannes’ pink carpet within the subsequent week and a half embody Natalie Portman, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Sean Penn, Alicia Vikander, Scarlett Johansson and Abel Tesfaye — also called the Weeknd.

Earlier Tuesday, the jury that may determine the pageant’s high prize, the Palme d’Or, was launched.

Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund, a two-time Palme winner who final 12 months received for the social satire “The Triangle of Unhappiness,” is presiding over a jury together with Dano, Larson, Argentine filmmaker Damián Szifron, Afghan director Atiq Rahimi, French actor Denis Ménochet, Moroccan filmmaker Maryam Tourzani, Zambian-Welsh director Rungano Nyoni and French director Julia Ducournau, who in 2019 turned the second feminine filmmaker to win the Palme d’Or for “Titane.”

Östlund, 49, puzzled whether or not he may need been handed the chance a decade too quickly. However whereas addressing the press, Östlund — whose “The Triangle of Unhappiness” was nominated for greatest image on the Academy Awards — made it clear the place his allegiances lie.

“If I can select between an Oscar and a Palme d’Or, it’s a straightforward selection,” mentioned Östlund. “I’d moderately have another [Palme] than have an Oscar.”

The opening evening choice has attracted some controversy. “Jeanne du Barry,” which concurrently opened in French theaters Tuesday, was produced following the much-watched 2022 trial throughout which each Depp and Heard accused one another of bodily and verbal abuse. A civil jury awarded Depp $10 million in damages and $2 million to Heard.

Maïwenn has made headlines not too long ago, too. The French actor-director has been accused of spitting at distinguished French journalist Edwy Plenel. Earlier this month, she confirmed that she assaulted him in a restaurant.

In remarks to the press Monday, Cannes director Thierry Fremaux defended the selection, praised Depp as an actor and mentioned he paid no consideration to the trial.

“To let you know the reality, in my life, I solely have one rule, it’s the liberty of pondering, the liberty of speech and the liberty to behave inside a authorized framework,” mentioned Fremaux. “If Johnny Depp had been banned from performing in a movie, or the movie was banned we wouldn’t be right here speaking about it.

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