“Emmanuelle,” a new feature from French writer-director Audrey Diwan, will world premiere in competition as the opening film for the 72nd San Sebastian Film Festival, which kicks off on September 20.
Inspired by the eponymous erotic novel by Emmanuelle Arsan, the film tells the story of a woman looking for a lost pleasure. During a business trip to Hong Kong, she meets several new people, including a man named Kei, who constantly eludes her. According to the director, the story was conceived as an exploration of pleasure in the post #MeToo era.
Diwan, a Venice Golden Lion winner for her 2021 film “Happening,” co-wrote “Emmanuelle” with fellow filmmaker Rebecca Zlotowski, whose 2013 feature “Grand Central” screened in competition at Cannes and won the François Chalais Award.
Chantelouve, Rectangle Productions and Goodfellas (formerly Wild Bunch) produce. “Emmanuelle” will be distributed by Pathé in France, where it will debut on September 25, and Beta Fiction in Spain.
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“Emmanuelle” stars actor-director Noémie Merlant (“Portrait of a Woman on Fire,” “One Year, One Night”) as the film’s titular lead. She’s joined by Naomi Watts (“Mulholland Drive”), Will Sharpe (“The White Lotus”), Jamie Campbell Bower (“Stranger Things”), Chacha Huang, and Anthony Wong.
San Sebastian announcing its opening film this far ahead of the event is unique, although unsurprising. With the Marché du Film right around the corner, it’s likely that the film will be looking to boost its profile thanks to an A-list festival premiere. Last year’s San Sebastian opener was Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron,” positioning “Emmanuelle” in good company.