The 79th Festival de Cannes has selected Pierre Salvadori’s “La Vénus Électrique” — aka “The Electric Kiss” — as its opening night film for 2026.
“Cannes celebrates everything I love about cinema,” the French director shared in a Wednesday statement. “Direction, boldness, freedom and filmmakers. Cannes discovers them, supports them and celebrates them. In its own way, my film embodies all the faith and love I have for my craft. I am so proud and happy that it’s kicking off the Festival!”
“La Vénus électrique” will premiere at the Grand Théâtre Lumière on May 12, shortly after actress Eye Haïdara kicks off the Croisette festivities with the opening ceremony. The film will simultaneously screen at theaters across France.
“Paris, 1928. A young painter in vogue, Antoine Balestro, has been unable to paint since his wife died, much to the despair of his gallery owner, Armand,” reads the logline. “One drunken evening, Antoine tries to contact his wife through a psychic. Unbeknownst to him, he is actually speaking with Suzanne, a humble carnival worker who has sneaked into the trailer to steal food. Suzanne proves to be a gifted fraudster, and, soon aided by Armand, she stages one fake séance after another. Little by little, Antoine regains his inspiration, but the situation gets complicated for Suzanne as she finds herself falling in love with the man she is manipulating…”
This will mark Salvadori’s 11th feature film at the festival in 34 years. He is also known for movies like “Wild Target” (1993), “Priceless” (2006) and “The Trouble With You” (2018).
Elsewhere, Barbra Streisand and Peter Jackson are set to receive Honorary Palme d’Ors from the Palais des Festivals stage on May 23.
The 2026 Cannes Film Festival will run May 12-23, with South Korean director Park Chan-wook as jury president.
