76th Cannes Film Festival kicks off with Johnny Depp starrer ‘Jeanne du Barry’

The 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival kicked off Tuesday with the premiere of the period drama “Jeanne du Barry”, in which Johnny Depp plays French King Louis XV.

During the opening ceremony, Michael Douglas received an honorary Palme d'Or, with his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones and their daughter, Carys Zeta Douglas, looking on from the audience.

“I'm even older than the festival,” said Douglas, 78. 

Douglas and Catherine Deneuve officially declared open the French Riviera festival that will continue over the next 12 days.

Cannes is among the world’s most glamorous film festivals, attracting movie stars, billionaires, industry executives, paparazzi and fans to the French Riviera to attend premieres and haggle for worldwide movie rights at the concurrent film market.

The selection of films for the opening night has drawn some controversy. “Jeanne du Barry”, which simultaneously opened in French theaters on Tuesday, was produced following the much-watched 2022 Depp trial with ex-wife Amber Heard during which both accused each other of physical and verbal abuse.  A civil jury awarded Depp $10 million in damages and $2 million to Heard.

The film is directed by Maiwenn Le Besco, who also plays Madame du Barry, the famous mistress of the 18th century French king.

Various actors streamed down Cannes' famous red carpet for the opening night ceremony, including Brie Larson, Uma Thurman, Gong Li, Elle Fanning, Catherine Deneuve and a blue-haired Helen Mirren.

Some big-budget films, including James Mangold's “Indiana Jones and the Dial of the Destiny” and Martin Scorsese's “Killers of the Flower Moon” are lined up at the Cannes festival.

The jury that will decide the festival's top prize, the Palme d'Or, was introduced on Tuesday. Swedish filmmaker Ruben Ostlund, a two-time Palme winner who last year won for the social satire “The Triangle of Sadness", is presiding over a jury including Dano, Larson, Argentine filmmaker Damian Szifron, Afghan director Atiq Rahimi, French actor Denis Menochet, Moroccan filmmaker Maryam Tourzani, Zambian-Welsh director Rungano Nyoni and French director Julia Ducournau, who in 2019 became the second female filmmaker to win the Palme d'Or for “Titane”. 

(With inputs from agencies)