Together!

Zhang Ziyi, Abel Ferrara, Fatih Akin, Alexandra Lamy, Tsui Hark, Andreï Zviaguintsev, Todd Haynes, Sayyid El Alami, Guillaume Gallienne… sont tous là pour ouvrir, comme le veut la tradition le festival Lumière.

Irène Jacob, President of the Institut Lumière, delivers a speech relevant to our current world: “In these times of war, let us remember the vital importance of coming together and seeing the lumière (light). This year, we would like to shine a spotlight on the role of culture in our lives, which gives us the ability to explore.”

It is time for the annual screening montage of clips from the films in the lineup. Things get underway with the cult classic by the Coen brothers’–honorees of the 2026 Lumière Award–The Big Lebowski, which generates laughter, putting everyone in a good mood. We then see glimpses of Wo hu cang long/Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Dances with Wolves, In the Heat of the Night and Delusions of Grandeur… In all, 163 films, 425 screenings on 43 cinema screens. Then Bob Dylan’s song “The Man in Me” rings out as the new theme song for the 18th edition. It’s a wonderful journey, thanks to the impactful images that always recall the Lumière brothers and their spirit of Renoir, as vivid as ever. Jeanne Cherhal performs, giving her rendition of Véronique Sanson’s “Chanson sur ma drôle de vie” alluding for a moment to “C’est comme ça,” in tribute to beloved singer Catherine Ringer of Les Rita Mitsouko, who we recently lost. Then attention turns to express gratitude to the 1,156 volunteers, who receive a warm round of applause and the festival is declared open…

American filmmaker Todd Haynes takes to the stage to introduce the opening film, A Special Day, by Ettore Scola, the subject of a retrospective this year. “It’s a wonderful film that I saw when I was sixteen in Los Angeles. You’ll rediscover it in a restored version, with an incredible palette of colors and a poignant performance by Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni. They portray two deeply lonely souls who find each other as Rome is celebrating Hitler’s arrival. The opening shot of this film is unforgettable. It’s an extraordinary feat of both the director and the actors.”

Laura Lépine