The Deauville American Film Festival will take place from 6 to 15 September in Normandy, giving us a glimpse of some great films to be released over the next few months. The 50th edition of the festival will pay tribute to actor Michael Douglas and present a selection of 50 American films that have changed the way we look at the world, starting in 1916.
Under the theme "At the Crossroads of Perspectives, 50 Years of American Cinema," the festival pays homage to its history and the evolution of American cinema over the past five decades. Founded in 1975 by Lionel Chouchan and André Halimi, with the support of Deauville Mayor Michel d'Ornano and Lucien Barrière, the festival has established itself as a privileged meeting place between American cinema and the French public. The program promises to be ambitious with more than sixty films to discover, spread across three iconic venues: the Deauville International Center, the Lucien Barrière Casino, and the Morny Cinema.
Spectators will be able to attend premieres, special screenings, and meetings with American cinema talents. Although the full program and guest list have not yet been revealed, we know that the festival has always attracted the biggest names in Hollywood, from Clint Eastwood to Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, and Johnny Depp.
Films premiering at the festival include Tim Burton's Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Also two films we'll be proposing downloadable resources for during the year: the biopic of Surrealist model turned war photographer Lee Miller and animated ecology-themed film The Wild Robot (both on release 9 October).
Michael Douglas
This 50th edition should be no exception. We will update you with more information soon, but we already know that one of the highlights of this edition will be the presence of Michael Douglas as the guest of honour. The American actor and producer, who has a special relationship with the festival, will return to Deauville for the fifth time. Douglas has emphasized the importance of the festival in his life, recalling that it was in Deauville in 1998 that he met his wife, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones.
The festival jury will be chaired this year by French actor Benoît Magimel. At 50 years old, Magimel is a renowned actor with a career spanning about sixty films and two consecutive César awards for Best Actor. He has worked with numerous directors including Michael Haneke, Claude Chabrol, Emmanuelle Bercot, Guillaume Canet, Quentin Dupieux, Alice Winocour, and Emmanuel Finkiel. The festival organizers chose Magimel to preside over this anniversary edition, describing it as "highly symbolic." As jury president, he will attend all screenings and lead jury discussions to award the prizes for this special edition. Magimel succeeds Guillaume Canet, who chaired the jury of the 49th edition of the festival.
Alice Belaïdi will chair the Revelation Jury, alongside Emma Benestan and Salim Kechiouche. As every year, the festival will feature an official competition, where a selection of films will compete for the festival's prestigious awards, including the Grand Prix, the Jury Prize, the Critics' Prize, and the Audience Award.
For more information, don't hesitate to visit the festival's website: https://www.festival-deauville.com/