Lacquered hair and leather jacket, Olivia Newton-John alias “Sandy” appeared on the screen of the International Center of Deauville in one of the most famous scenes of the cult comedy “Grease”, alongside John Travolta.
“Tribute to Olivia Newton-John”, could we read on the screen. The actress died in early August at her ranch in Southern California. She had been battling breast cancer for 30 years.
The clip was acclaimed by festival-goers.
A few minutes later, the mayor of the city, Philippe Augier, and the American ambassador to France, Denise Campbell Bauer, declared the 48th edition of the festival open.
The opening ceremony was also punctuated by the awarding of the New Hollywood Prize to actress Lucy Boynton (“Bohemian Rhapsody”), by French actress Élodie Bouchez.
Created in 2011, this prize rewards the faces of tomorrow. In the past, it has been awarded to Jessica Chastain, Ryan Gosling or Robert Pattinson.
During the nine days of the festival – the winners will be unveiled next Saturday evening – thirteen films are in competition. Of these thirteen feature films, eight are first opuses.
Among them, several nuggets already spotted in the different sections of the Cannes Film Festival, such as “War Pony” by Gina Gammell and Riley Keough, the granddaughter of Elvis Presley, or “Aftersun”, by director Charlotte Wells.
In the highlights, it will be necessary to count on the film “Blonde”, a biopic on the life of Marilyn Monroe. It will be presented on September 9, in the presence of its director, Andrew Dominik (“The Assassination of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford”, 2007) and its main actress, the Cuban and ex-James Bond girl, Ana de Armas.
The film, which will be released on September 28 on Netflix, is in the running for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, where it will be officially screened on September 8.
On the side of documentaries, a section always very extensive in Deauville, a film holds all the attention: the one dedicated to the Canadian musician Leonard Cohen, who died in 2016 at the age of 82.
Entitled “Hallelujah, the words of Leonard Cohen”, it is signed Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine and returns, through the cult song “Hallelujah”, to the life of this essential artist.
If the festival’s dose of glamor will undoubtedly be provided by Ana de Armas, the arrival of actor-turned-director Jesse Eisenberg (“The Social Network”, 2010), who will present “When You Finish Saving The World”, also promises a highlight.
Just like the closing screening of American actress Olivia Wilde’s new feature film, “Don’t Worry Darling” with Florence Pugh and pop superstar Harry Styles.
