The Electric Kiss opens the 79th Cannes Film Festival
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 7
The Electric Kiss opens the 79th Cannes Film Festival
6 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 7
Pierre Salvadori's 1920s Paris comedy launches the festival on Tuesday, with a same-day release in hundreds of French cinemas under Cannes rules.
The film follows a fake psychic who deceives a widower before falling in love with him, and Salvadori said he saw it as better suited to opening than competing.
Festival director Thierry Frémaux said the release rule, introduced about 15 years ago, is meant to build commercial momentum and reinforce Cannes's commitment to theatrical cinema through May 23.
With audiences preferring streaming, is Cannes' theater-first rule a bold defense of cinema or an outdated policy?
What artistic compromises were made to rush an unfinished film for its prestigious opening night premiere?
Can a 'party-starting' film truly reignite the box office after a decade of steady decline?