Pierre Salvadori’s La Vénus électrique premieres as Cannes opening gala

Cannes opened this year with a very Cannes kind of statement. Not a giant studio launch. Not a franchise flex. Instead, the festival chose Pierre Salvadori’s La Vénus électrique, a French period romantic comedy, and wrapped it in the usual opening-night ritual — speeches, stars, an honorary Palme, and a lot of symbolism. The point was pretty clear: on May 12, the 79th edition planted its flag on auteur cinema first. ### What actually opened the festival? The opening-night film was La Vénus électrique, Salvadori’s new feature, which premiered at the Grand Théâtre Lumière right after the ceremony hosted by actress Eye Haïdara. Cannes had announced it in April as the official opening film, and the festival also arranged simultaneous screenings across France — a neat way to turn a famously exclusive premiere into a broader national movie event. (festival-cannes.com) ### What kind of movie is it? Basically, it’s a burlesque period romance set in early-20th-century Paris. Cannes pitched it as a fable full of lies, ambiguity, and pretense — very Salvadori territory, just dressed in Roaring Twenties imagery. Reviews out of the first screening suggest the movie is light, playful, and deliberately old-fashioned, even if not everyone thought it had much bite. RogerEbert.com’s first take called it diverting but thin — the sort of opening-night movie Cannes often uses because it won’t overpower the ceremony around it. (festival-cannes.com) ### Who’s in it? The cast is stacked with familiar French names: Pio Marmaï, Anaïs Demoustier, Gilles Lellouche, Vimala Pons, and Gustave Kervern. That matters because opening-night Cannes films often double as a showcase for the host country’s industry. This one does that very directly — big local talent, a French director with a long track record, and a movie built to feel elegant rather than disruptive. (festival-cannes.com) ### Why was Peter Jackson part of the night? Because Cannes used the ceremony to hand Peter Jackson an honorary Palme d’Or. Elijah Wood presented it, which gave the whole thing an instant emotional hook. Jackson said he never expected a Palme because he doesn’t make “Palme d’Or sort of films,” and he tied the honor back to his earlier Cannes visits — first with Bad Taste 38 years ago, then in May 2001 with early Lord of the Rings footage. (festival-cannes.com) That made the tribute feel less random than it might sound at first. ### Who set the festival in motion? Jane Fonda and Gong Li did the formal honors and declared the festival open. Meanwhile, the main competition jury arrived under president Park Chan-wook, with members including Demi Moore, Chloé Zhao, Ruth Negga, Stellan Skarsgård, Laura Wandel, Diego Céspedes, Isaach De Bankolé, and Paul Laverty. So even if the opening film was French and modest in scale, the room around it was unmistakably global. (rogerebert.com) ### Why does this opening feel like a signal? Because Cannes 2026 looks unusually tilted toward European and auteur filmmaking. The official selection includes 22 competition films, and early coverage keeps circling the same point — Hollywood is lighter on the ground this year. That doesn’t mean Cannes is anti-American. It means the festival’s center of gravity, at least on day one, sits with directors’ cinema rather than studio spectacle. (rogerebert.com) ### So what’s the read on night one? Night one said Cannes still wants glamour, but on its own terms. You can honor Peter Jackson, pack the carpet with famous faces, and still open with a sly French comedy instead of a blockbuster. That balance — stars outside, auteurism inside — is basically the Croisette’s whole brand. (festival-cannes.com) ### Bottom line The real news isn’t just that La Vénus électrique premiered. It’s that Cannes used its biggest ceremonial moment to remind everyone what kind of festival it wants to be in 2026 — international, filmmaker-led, and only loosely interested in chasing Hollywood’s center. (festival-cannes.com) (hollywoodreporter.com)