Monica Bellucci. Photo Reza Vaziri

Italian actress to open Cannes for second time

The Italian actress Monica Bellucci will MC the opening and closing of the 70th Cannes Film Festival 2017 (17-28 May), a role she already played in 2003. She follows in the steps of the French humorist and actor Laurent Lafitte, who was in command of the 69th ceremony last year, and Lambert Wilson, twice in a row, as well as Audrey Tautou. The jury of the 70th Cannes Festival will be chaired by the Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar.

Bellucci, who is 52, is no stranger to the Cannes Festival. In 2000, she climbed the red carpet for the first time for “Suspicion” by Stephen Hopkins. She was back two years later with the controversial “Irreversible” of Gaspar Noé which shocked many festival-goers and inevitably created a sensation up and down the Croisette (and remains a very troubling movie)

Back to Cannes for Bellucci

Monica Bellucci was a member of the jury in 2006 under the chairmanship of Wong Kar-wai. The following years, the Italian actress returned to Cannes in selection with Marco Tullio Giordana’s film, “An Italian Story”, and “Don’t Look Back” by Marina de Van. In 2014, she came to present “The Wonders” by the Italian Alice Rohrwacher, which won the Grand Prize of the jury on the Croisette.

Monica Bellucci has shown herself to be comfortable in all genres, from comedy to drama – often making eclectic and very bold artistic choices. She has acted with prestigious filmmakers such as Bertrand Blier, Danièle Thompson, Francis Ford Coppola, Terry Gilliam, Mel Gibson, Sam Mendes and Spike Lee.

She was recently cast in the season 3 of Twin Peaks by David Lynch and will next appear in the latest feature film of Emir Kusturica “On the Milky Road”, which will be released in France on July 12, 2017.