"The perspective must be fresh. If there is no need for the new, it's better not to devote oneself to art. But what is the new? Do you know? We don't know. So, we approach it with a hopeful gaze, the eyes of a child eager to marvel, with the desire to leap into the unknown and be immersed in a world, a spirit, an atmosphere." These are the words of Juliette Binoche, who is about to preside over the jury of the 78th Cannes Film Festival, opening on Tuesday, May 13.
She is familiar with awards: A César for Trois couleurs: Bleu (Three Colors: Blue) by Krzysztof Kieslowski, in 1994, an Oscar for The English Patient by Anthony Minghella, in 1997, and the unique privilege she shares with Julianne Moore of being honored at the three major international festivals: Venice, Berlin and Cannes. For the latter, it was in 2010 for Certified Copy by Abbas Kiarostami.
Fortunately for Thierry Frémaux, this spring, the actress with around 70 feature films had no ongoing shoots, having been too occupied for more than a year creating two films about a dance show created in 2008 with British choreographer and dancer Akram Khan. Apart from the release on June 18 of The Return – directed in 2023 by Uberto Pasolini, reuniting her once more with Ralph Fiennes, him as Ulysses and her as Penelope – her schedule was open. The director of the festival seized the opportunity. Le Monde met her in the lobby of a hotel in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris, before she became unreachable at Cannes, secluded in the ivory tower of the jury and shielded from any external influence.
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