Cannes Film Festival: An Opening Between Tribute and Grand Spectacle

Published on May 12, 2026 23:41

Reading time: 1min – video: 3min

Cannes opens its festival with emotion, tributes, and glamour on Tuesday, May 12th. From honoring Peter Jackson to a very glamorous first walk up the steps, the red carpet comes alive with an international jury and an opening film that celebrates cinema and dreams.

In this first Cannes journal, meet a hobbit, its creator, super friendly actors, and the biggest star of stars.

A mistress of ceremonies like a conductor. There was music to open this festival. From a legendary shabadabada to a reimagined classic, Theodora performs The Beatles for a very special guest, a director who conquered the world with a cult trilogy: Peter Jackson receives a honorary Palme d’Or from his favorite actor and hobbit, and the ovation that follows. For the first walk up the steps, the usual Cannes extravagances. And in the midst of frills, a jury without any French presence this year, chaired by the Korean Park Chan-wook, with its members ready to deliberate Demi Moore and Chloé Zhao. And to kick things off, a band of very popular actors: Gilles Lelouch, Pio Marmaï, Anaïs Demoustier, who came to present the opening film. With “The Electric Venus,” the party begins.

A fun fair in 1920s Paris and a burlesque encounter between a grieving painter and a fake psychic. In “The Electric Venus,” the actors shine on screen and in real life, simple actors, who have found each other nicknames. Anaïs Demoustier shares: “It’s a film that is like a sort of homage to cinema, an homage to fiction, to dreams, to the stories we tell ourselves, so I think it’s great to start the festival with that.”

Behind the scenes, there is one who has remained discreet, but she is ready for the celebration. The Palme d’Or, taken out of its case just for us. A trophy that, in the history of the festival, has already caused some frights. Caroline Scheufele, artistic director and co-president of Chopard, explains: “A few years ago, when Catherine Deneuve presented the Palme, it fell off the screen and I was at the ceremony. But it didn’t break.”

Quickly stored back in its box, the beauty will only come out again for the closing ceremony in 11 days.