Cinema’s most glamorous annual gathering officially kicked off on Tuesday as the 79th Cannes Film Festival opened its doors at the Palais des Festivals on the French Riviera. And if opening night was any indication of what the next eleven days will look like, the fashion alone is worth your full attention.
Jury president Demi Moore — fresh off her The Substance buzz from last year — arrived in custom Jacquemus with Chopard jewellery and immediately owned the staircase. She’s joined on the jury by actress Ruth Negga, director Chloé Zhao, and actor Stellan Skarsgård, giving this year’s panel a genuinely impressive range of cinematic sensibilities.
The opening night was headlined by the premiere of French director Pierre Salvadori’s La Vénus Électrique (The Electric Kiss), a period romantic comedy that critics are describing as lushly designed and charming. Among those walking the carpet: Jane Fonda, Heidi Klum, Dame Joan Collins, and The Traitors alumna Maura Higgins, who traded the villa for a full Cannes black-tie dress code in an Andrew Kwon gown.
The evening’s most unexpected highlight came when director Peter Jackson was awarded an honorary Palme d’Or — the festival’s lifetime achievement equivalent — with his Lord of the Rings collaborator Elijah Wood appearing on stage alongside him for the presentation.
Looking ahead at the competition lineup: Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, and Miles Teller’s Paper Tigers premieres May 16, followed by Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve in Fjord on May 19. Penelope Cruz and Glenn Close are also expected for The Black Ball. The festival runs through May 23.
