Guest of honour at Lumière 2024!

Girl on the Bridge by Patrice Leconte (1999)

The 2024 Lumière Film Festival announces its first guest of honour: Vanessa Paradis! One of France's most popular celebrities, she has successfully managed a dazzling career both as a singer and an actress. At Lumière, she will discuss her evolution on the big screen and introduce a trio of works from her filmography.

Following her débuts as a television child star, Paradis catapulted to stardom as a teenager with the worldwide success of ‘Joe le Taxi’. Wrongly dismissed as a one-hit-wonder at the time, she wowed the crowd at the 1990 Césars, garnering the award for Most Promising Actress. A few months earlier, moved to tears, she had dedicated her Victoire de la Musique trophy to Serge Gainsbourg, author and composer of her album ‘Variation sur le même t'aime’. On that momentous evening, a love affair was ignited, with a flame that has never wavered, between the French public and one of its brightest stars.

After her self-titled American album written and produced by Lenny Kravitz, she found herself shooting for Jean Becker, then starring with Jeanne Moreau and finally, for Patrice Leconte, serving as the hyphen to unite legendary giants Delon and Belmondo.

She returned to the movie set in 1999 as Patrice Leconte’s female lead opposite Daniel Auteuil for Girl on the Bridge, an opus of wild poetry in black and white. In 2000, she immersed herself for three weeks into the adventure The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, Terry Gilliam's infamous project that took 17 years to come to fruition.

A decade later, after a notable performance in a Guillaume Nicloux film, she played the principal character alongside Romain Duris in one of the biggest successes of contemporary French comedy: Heartbreaker. In 2010, she was once again cast in the title role by Jean-Marc Vallée, the Québécois director of C.R.A.Z.Y., for the poignant Café de Flore.

Café de Flore by Jean-Marc Vallée (2012)

Since then, the artist has collaborated with John Turturro, Audrey Dana, Samuel Benchetrit and Yann Gonzalez. Her magnificent luminous presence, an eclectic palette and a rarity on screen confirm that she holds a very special place in French cinema.

Working with the likes of Benjamin Biolay, M, Alain Bashung and Mathieu Boogaerts, Vanessa Paradis simultaneously continues her fine path as a singer, both in the studio and on stage, where each of her performances is sheer magic.

Her presence in Lyon will be one of the highlights of this year’s edition of the Lumière Film Festival!


Films presented:
Girl on the Bridge by Patrice Leconte (La Fille sur le pont, 1999)
Heartbreaker by Pascal Chaumeil (L’Arnacœur, 2010)
Café de Flore by Jean-Marc Vallée (2011)


Conversation with Vanessa Paradis at the Pathé Bellecour – date to be announced shortly

With the support of

Our thanks to Tamasa and Universal Pictures France

Heartbreaker by Pascal Chaumeil (2010)