Pierre Salvadori’s ‘La Vénus électrique’ to Open 79th Cannes Film Festival
On Tuesday, May 12, La Vénus électrique will launch the festivities of the 79th Festival de Cannes. French director and screenwriter Pierre Salvadori’s new film will premiere at the Grand Théâtre Lumière, following the opening ceremony hosted by actress Eye Haïdara. The film will also be screened in movie theaters across France at the same time.
The 79th Festival de Cannes will take place from Tuesday, May 12 to Saturday, May 23, 2026. The Official Selection will be announced on Thursday, April 9, at 11 a.m. (Paris time).
“Cannes celebrates everything I love about cinema, Pierre Salvadori said, “Direction, boldness, freedom, and filmmakers. Cannes discovers them, supports them, and celebrates them. In its own way, my film embodies all the faith and love I have for my craft. I am so proud and happy that it’s kicking off the Festival!”
A leading figure of highly acclaimed French comedies, Pierre Salvadori presents his 11th feature film in 34 years. He brings together the stars of contemporary French cinema and sets his period fable, a first in his filmography, against the backdrop of the bustling Paris of the early 20th century. His recurring themes remain ever-present, however: lies, ambiguity, and pretense. The imaginings of the Roaring Twenties, marked by artistic effervescence, popular entertainment, and spiritualism, permeate this film, which remains faithful to the poetic cinema of Pierre Salvadori, who blends narrative freedom, melancholy, and humor like no other. Drawing inspiration from sophisticated Hollywood comedy, with its brisk pace, confusion between lies and truth, and precision in writing and direction, this fervent admirer of Ernst Lubitsch, Billy Wilder and Blake Edwards creates unique, novelistic worlds rooted in a social reality that explores human relationships and the vulnerabilities of battered characters on their difficult quest for happiness.
The film takes place in Paris, 1928. A young painter in vogue, Antoine Balestro, has been unable to paint since his wife died, much to the despair of his gallery owner, Armand.
One drunken evening, Antoine tries to contact his wife through a psychic. Unbeknownst to him, he is actually speaking with Suzanne, a humble carnival worker who has sneaked into the trailer to steal food. Suzanne proves to be a gifted fraudster, and, soon aided by Armand, she stages one fake séance after another.
Little by little, Antoine regains his inspiration, but the situation gets complicated for Suzanne as she finds herself falling in love with the man she is manipulating…
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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