Audrey Diwan’s 'Emmanuelle' to Premiere as Opening Film at the 72nd San Sebastian Festival

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The French production Emmanuelle, directed by Audrey Diwan, is set to open the 72nd San Sebastian Festival in competition. This feature film will make its world premiere on September 20 and will be attended by its director and leading cast.

Diwan, who won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 2021 for Happening / L'événement, co-wrote the screenplay with fellow filmmaker Rebecca Zlotowski. Emmanuelle follows the journey of a woman in search of lost pleasure during a business trip to Hong Kong, leading to numerous encounters, including a meeting with Kei, a man who continually eludes her.

The film draws inspiration from the character and world created by writer Emmanuelle Arsan. Conceived as an exploration of pleasure in the post-Me Too era, Emmanuelle was shot in Hong Kong and Paris during the autumn of 2023.

The film stars Noémie Merlant, known for her roles in Portrait of a Woman on Fire, One Year, One Night, The Innocent, Tár, and Mi iubita, mon amour, as the eponymous lead character. The cast also includes Naomi Watts (Mulholland Drive, 21 Grams, The Impossible), Will Sharpe (The White Lotus), Jamie Campbell Bower (Stranger Things), Chacha Huang, and Anthony Wong.

Audrey Diwan made her directorial debut with Mais vous êtes fous / Losing It in 2019, starring Pio Marmaï and Cécile Sallette. Her second film, Happening / L’événement, an adaptation of Annie Ernaux's book about an illegal abortion in the 1960s, received critical acclaim, winning the Golden Lion at Venice and earning multiple César and BAFTA nominations. In 2021, Diwan served on the Official Jury at the San Sebastian Film Festival.

Emmanuelle is produced by Chantelouve, Rectangle Productions, and Goodfellas, with Beta Fiction Spain handling distribution in Spain. The film will be released in France by Pathé on September 25.

Audrey Diwan, a director, author, and screenwriter, made her feature film directing debut with Mais vous êtes fous / Losing It, starring Celine Sallette and Pio Marmaï. Her second film, Happening / L'événement, won the Golden Lion at the 2021 Venice Film Festival. In 2021, she was a member of the Official Jury at the San Sebastian Festival. In 2023, she received the Best Screenplay César with Valerie Donzelli for L'amour et Les Fôrets / Just the Two of Us. Her third feature, Emmanuelle, will have its world premiere at the San Sebastian Film Festival as the Opening Film in Competition.