Alain Chabat Honored as Guest of the Year at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight

This year, French filmmaker Alain Chabat has been selected as the guest of honor for Directors’ Fortnight, the esteemed sidebar of the Cannes Film Festival organized by the French Directors’ Guild. Known for his distinctive blend of comedy and fantasy, Chabat will spotlight a “surprise film” during the festival’s festivities, set to take place on May 20.

Chabat’s body of work includes beloved titles such as RRRrrrr!!! (2004), Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (2002), and Houba! On the Trail of the Marsupilami (2012). His unique storytelling style, which fuses absurdity with playful humor, has made a significant impact on contemporary cinema. As expressed by the Directors’ Fortnight organizers in a recent statement, “Alain has returned time and again to a form of mainstream auteur cinema where absurdity and schoolboy humour rub shoulders with irreverent, magical worlds fit for the biggest of kids.”

They further noted, “We all dream of seeing more auteur comedies on the big screen, so we gave Alain Chabat carte blanche to pick a surprise film that will be revealed during the festival. The screening will be followed by a discussion with Alain Chabat, in which he will reflect on the comedies that have made him laugh, and have played a big role in his life and filmmaking.”

Chabat is known for his family-friendly films, with his most recent feature being Christmas and Co., released in 2017. Additionally, he has completed work on an upcoming Netflix animated mini-series titled Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight. His 2002 adaptation of Asterix & Obelix, featuring Christian Clavier and Gérard Depardieu, remains a landmark success, grossing over $128 million globally—the highest of any adaptation from the renowned comic series.

The 2023 Directors’ Fortnight will launch with the French drama Enzo by Laurent Cantet and Robin Campillo on May 14. The closing film will be Eva Victor’s acclaimed Sundance hit Sorry, Baby, screened on May 24.

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