The Truth, directed by Kore-eda Hirokazu, and starring Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche, Ethan Hawke, is the opening film in the main Competition of the 76th Venice International Film Festival.
The film will have its world premiere screening on August 28 in the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema at the Venice Lido.
The director expressed his joy for choosing his film. “It is with great joy that I have learned that my new film has been selected to open the official competition of the Venice Film Festival. I am extremely honoured.”
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the entire staff of the festival. We shot the movie in ten weeks last fall in Paris. As officially announced, the cast is prestigious but the film itself recounts a small family story that takes place primarily inside a house. I have tried to make my characters live within this small universe, with their lies, pride, regrets, sadness, joy, and reconciliation. I truly hope you will like this film,” he added.
Festival Director, Alberto Barbera, also commented saying that “for the first film he has directed abroad, Kore-eda had the privilege of working with two major French film stars.”
“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. It will be a pleasure to present this movie as the opening film of this year’s Venice Film Festival,” he added.
The film follows Fabienne (Catherine Deneuve) who is a star of French cinema. She reigns amongst men who love and admire her. When she publishes her memoirs, her daughter Lumir (Juliette Binoche) returns from New York to Paris with her husband (Ethan Hawke) and young child. The reunion between mother and daughter will quickly turn to confrontation: truths will be told, accounts settled, and loves and resentments confessed.
The Truth is produced by Muriel Merlin, coproducers Miyuki Fukuma and Matilde Incerti. It is a coproduction by 3B productions Bunbuku & M.i Movies, France 3 cinema.
Kore-eda was born in 1962 in Tokyo, Japan. After graduating from Waseda University in 1987, Kore-eda joined TV Man Union where he directed several prize-winning documentary programmes. In 2014, he launched his production company.
In 1995, his directorial debut, Maborosi, won the 52nd Venice International Film Festival’s Golden Osella. After Life (1998), brought Kore-eda international acclaim. In 2001, Distance was selected in the official competition at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2004, he presented Nobody Knows, where the young star in the film Yagira Yuya, received the Cannes’ Best Actor award.
In 2006, Hana was presented in San Sebastian and in Toronto. In 2008, he presented the family drama, Still Walking, which reflected his own personal experiences, and received high praise from around the world. In 2009, Air Doll made its world premiere in Un Certain Regard at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival and was widely-praised for marking a new frontier in its depiction of a sensual love fantasy.
In 2011, I Wish won the Best Screenplay award at the 59th San Sebastian International Film Festival. In 2012, he made his TV series directorial debut with Going Home.
In 2018, Shoplifters won the Palme d’Or at the 71st Cannes Film Festival and broke the box office records of his previous films.
