Kore-eda Hirokazu’s “The Truth,” a drama starring Catherine Deneuve as (what else?) a beloved star of French cinema, will open the Venice Film Festival next month, festival organizers announced Thursday.
The award-winning Japanese director’s film, the first he has made outside his native country, also stars Juliette Binoche and Ethan Hawke.
The film, which will play in competition, follows Deneuve as a French film star with many male admirers who causes a family rift when she publishes her memoir. Her daughter (Binoche) returns from New York to Paris with her husband (Hawke) and young child, a reunion that turns to confrontation: Truths will be told, accounts settled, loves and resentments confessed.
“The encounter between the universe of Japan’s most important filmmaker today and two beloved actresses like Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche, brought to life a poetic reflection on the relationship between a mother and her daughter, and the complex profession of acting,” Festival director Alberto Barbera said in a statement. “It will be a pleasure to present this movie as the opening film of this year’s Venice Film Festival.”
The festival runs from Aug. 28 to Sept. 7.
Kore-eda first achieved international acclaim for his 1998 drama “After Life.” Last year, he won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for his drama “Shoplifters.”
Muriel Merlin produced “The Truth” along with co-producers Miyuki Fukuma and Matilde Incerti. The film is a coproduction of 3B Productions Bunbuku & M.i Movies, France 3 cinéma, with participation of France Télévisions, Canal+, Ciné+, Le Pacte, Wild Bunch and Gaga Corporation.