Leo Carax's Annette to open 74th edition of Cannes Film Festival

The English-language work, Annette, will open the Cannes Film Festival on July 6. The 74th edition comes after two years, because the coronavirus pandemic stopped the 12-day event last May on the French Riviera.

Even this time, the pandemic is not over, most parts of the globe are still reeling under it. Cannes appears bold enough to hold the festival, despite many European countries and even the UK seeing fresh surges.

Annette is helmed by Leo Carax, whose Holy Motors nine years ago created a huge buzz at Cannes. 

Annette will be Frenchman Leo's first English outing – an exceptional study in fantasy and magic realism. Unfolding in today's Los Angeles, Annette narrates the story of Henry, a stand-up comedian with a fierce sense of humour, and Ann, a singer of international repute. The couple are glamorous and happy, but the birth of their first child, Annette, a mysterious girl with exceptional destiny, will change their lives in an unbelievable sort of way.

Annette will be the director's sixth work, starring Marion Cotillard (Rust and Bone) and Adam Driver (Marriage Story), supported by Simon Helberg. It will premiere in Cannes Competition, and will open simultaneously in French cinemas.

A festival press note avers: "Visionary and enigmatic, Leo Carax has authored some of the most beautiful moments of French cinema in the past 35 years, with a filmography that has never ceased to display his mastery over directing. A poetic genius with an overflowing imagination, the "enfant terrible" of French cinema has consistently transcended filmic codes and genres to create a world full of visions and ghosts."