Mexico, present at the Cannes Film Festival

The Mexican actress Adriana Paz will represent our country together with the Mexican producer Nicolás Celis in the next edition of the Cannes Film Festivalas it will present the film with the help of director Jacques Audiard, Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez, Karla Sofía Gascón and Édgar Ramírez Emilia Perezwhich will compete for the Palme d’Or, the highest award in the French competition.

I am officially finding out and I am very happy, of course. I feel very honored and lucky. For me this means a lot in my career, having been able to work on this film, I have never been to Cannes and going in the Official Selection and with a director like Jacques Audiard, already winner of a Palme d’Or, is incredible. I’m still processing it, I’m returning to Mexico City from a shoot and it’s like “Wow, wait for me, let me sit down and take it in,” said Adriana Paz, in an interview with Excelsiorwho took the call getting off a plane.

Of the 19 films that will compete for the Palme d’Or and which include directors such as Francis Ford Coppola, David Cronenberg and Paolo Sorrentino, Emilia Perez is the only Mexican production, developed in a Mexican context, drug trafficking, and that is spoken word. in Spanish even though it was filmed in Paris.

It is a story about Mexico told from the perspective of Jacques Audiard, who is an extremely creative, versatile director, who does not marry his own ideas and who himself can accept that something he wrote does not work and who can say: ‘I like it more what you are proposing’ or ‘I realized other things’, which for me was very revealing because the creation does not end,” said Paz, nominated in 2018 for the Goya Award for Best New Actress for The author.

The plot of this musical film, which is a co-production between Mexico and France, centers its story on a Mexican drug trafficker, played by Karla Sofía Gascón, who undergoes a sex reassignment operation to escape the law and be the woman who has always wanted to be. In the middle of this plot, her life is intertwined with that of other women, among them that of Epifanía, played by Adriana Paz, whom we have seen in films such as The dead hours, Hilda o 007: Spectre.

There is everything in this movie, there is action, there is love, there is music, there is drama, a little comedy, it is incredible. My character has a very beautiful relationship and I work very closely with Karla (Sofía Gascón) and with Zoe Saldaña and they are also going to see me sing, since I have two musical numbers,” revealed the actress, winner of three Ariel awards.

Excelsior published in October 2023, within the framework of Iberseries Platino, that the Mexican producer Nicolás Celis was part of Emilia Perez’s production team and told how he became involved in this project that will compete for the Palme d’Or.

I came to this project because Pascal Caucheteux, the French producer, is someone I admire a lot and I had been seeing him for many years, asking him for advice and we made a great relationship thanks to Jim Stark, my partner-friend in many adventures. After getting to know each other for a while, they told me that they had a project for Mexico, everything happened in a very organic way and the truth is that it is incredible,” commented Celis.

Yesterday, when it was announced that Emilia Perez was part of the Official Selection of Cannes 2024, the actresses Zoe, Karla Sofía and Selena used their social networks to share the posters of the film in which they star.

I’ve been waiting to show you this. I am more than grateful that Emilia Perezdirected by Jacques Audiard will have its premiere in May in Cannes,” Selena wrote on her IG, sharing the poster of the film in which her character is seen.

For her part, the Spanish Karla Sofía Gascón shared a video in which Thierry Frémaux, general delegate of Cannes, is seen announcing the film as part of the competition.

Happy seeing the announcement, live, of our film in official competition for the Palme d’Or,” wrote Gascón.

Emilia Perez It features original songs and music by Camille and Clément Ducol, while the choreographies were created by the Belgian Damien Jalet, Madonna’s choreographer.

THE SELECTION

With heavyweights like Francis Ford Coppola and his long-awaited MegalopolisYesterday, the Cannes Film Festival promised a high-voltage and glamorous edition.

In total, 19 films will aspire to the Palme d’Or, of which four are directed by women – last year there were seven, the record – and one is the work of Brazilian Karim Aïnouz.

For this edition, which will be held from May 14 to 25, the selection “was not easy,” admitted the general delegate of the event, Thierry Frémaux, after the success achieved by last year’s winners, which crowned Anatomy of a fallby the French Justine Triet.

But without a doubt, the participation of the Megalopolis by Coppola, one of the most anticipated films of the year, will give a good boost to the competition.

We are delighted that he honors us by coming to present this film,” Frémaux congratulated the legendary director, 85 years old.

This ambitious science fiction film, with a budget of more than 100 million dollars, tells the reconstruction of a city with the air of New York, with Adam Driver and Forest Whitaker among the protagonists.

Just 50 years ago the filmmaker won his first Palme d’Or, with The conversationand five years later, he took second place Apocalypse now (equally con The tin drum).

Other notable films in competition are Kinds of Kindnessthe new film by Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, with his fetish actress Emma Stone, which arrives after his successful poor creaturesy The Shroudsby David Cronenberg, another regular at the contest.

Paul Schrader returns to work with Richard Gere in Oh Canada and the Iranian Ali Abbasi has in The Apprentice the story of a young Donald Trump.

Destination Motelby Karim Aïnouz, a film about “desire and love in 2024”, in the words of Frémaux, the Brazilian director returns to film in his native country, after the British historical drama Firebrand last year, with whom he also competed.

During the press conference, Frémaux had some words of support for Argentine cinema and the “difficulties” that the profession is experiencing in the country, after the cuts proposed by President Javier Milei.

The Frenchman Jacques Audiard, who already has a Palme d’Or for Deephan In 2015, it will compete with Emilia Pereza story between thriller and musical set in the middle of drug trafficking in Mexico, with Selena Gomez and Édgar Ramírez.

As in previous editions, the organizers have already announced that they will add some titles to the selection.

GEORGE LUCAS, HONORARY PALM D’OR

Other great productions present at the festival, out of competition, are Angryfrom the saga Mad Maxalso directed by George Miller with Anya Taylor-Joy, and Kevin Costner’s new film, Horizon: An American Sagaa multi-part western starring himself and Sienna Miller.

George Lucas, 79, creator of the saga of Star Warswill receive the honorary Palme d’Or.

The festival, often criticized for the low presence of female directors in its sections, has opted for filmmaker Greta Gerwig, who has swept the Barbieto preside over the competition jury.

-With information from AFP

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