Guest of honour at Lumière 2024!

After announcing the presence of Vanessa Paradis, it is the American actor, winner of an Academy Award and the Best Actor trophy at the Cannes Film Festival who will grace us with his friendship and do us the honour of joining us in Lyon. Not only will he discuss his career and introduce a selection of works from his filmography, but as a movie buff, he will also be in attendance to discover the films on the lineup of the 16^th edition.

In 1995, although Benicio del Toro was still in his late twenties, he was already on the verge of planetary success with one of the most monumental movies of the decade: The Usual Suspects. Before this breakout role, he had already been cast as Agent 007's nemesis in Licence to Kill and had made a brief appearance in Sean Penn's directorial debut, The Indian Runner.

Following The Usual Suspects, he worked with Julian Schnabel, Abel Ferrara and Tony Scott before blowing up the screen in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, co-starring Johnny Depp. This Terry Gilliam adaptation of the autobiography of “gonzo”  journalist Hunter S. Thompson is a cult film among cult films! In 2000, del Toro garnered an Academy Award for his performance in Steven Soderbergh's Traffic.

Since then, he has acted for some of the greatest filmmakers including William Friedkin, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Roberto Rodriguez or Sofia Coppola. In 2008, his portrayal of Che Guevara in Soderbergh's two-part biopic left a lasting impression on audiences and earned him the Best Actor award in Cannes. Subsequently, he has brilliantly alternated between films d’auteur by Paul Thomas Anderson, Arnaud Desplechin, Wes Anderson or Denis Villeneuve, and major blockbusters of the Marvel or Star Wars universe.

A Hollywood star and a leading figure in American independent film, Benicio is also a cinephile, who will be on hand in Lyon to take in as many films as possible, making his attendance at the Lumière Film Festival a major event. Welcome Benicio!

Films presented: 
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Terry Gilliam (1998)
Che: Part One by Steven Soderbergh (2008)
Che: Part Two by Steven Soderbergh (2008)
Jimmy P.: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian by Arnaud Desplechin (2013)
Sicario by Denis Villeneuve (2015)


A conversation with Benicio del Toro at the Pathé Bellecour
Coming soon: stay alert for the date!

With the support of

Our thanks to Universal Pictures, Warner Bros, Le Pacte and Metropolitan Filmexport