Marcia Grandini/Film Awards TV
Les Misérables is the first French film in competition at Cannes 2019, but it’s not the classic by Victor Hugo (there have been enough adaptations of late). Director Ladj Ly’s first fictional film is set in Montfermeil, Paris, which inspired Hugo, but is set in the modern day and centres around police brutality—Ly himself grew up on a housing estate there. He had worked on a César-winning short prior to this, and his new film expands on his earlier work.
On the red carpet with Ly were actors Steve Tientcheu, Djebril Zonga, Alexis Manenti, Al Hassan Ly, Issa Perica, and Damien Bonnard, screenwriter Giordano Gederlini, and producers Toufik Ayadi and Christophe Barral.
A night-time première was Bacurau, a Brazilian film in competition, with journalist Marie Sauvion, directors Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles, actors Udo Kier, Barbara Colen, Thomas Aquino, Silvero Pereira and Karine Teles, and producers Emilie Lesclaux and Saïd Ben Saïd.
Present for day two red carpet appearances were Indian actress Hina Khan, in Ziad Nakad, and Thai actress Sririta Jensen in a stunning Michael Cinco gown from his spring–summer 2019 haute couture collection with jewellery by Avakian. Jensen’s necklace had 77·68 ct of pink sapphires, 23·51 ct of rose-cut diamonds, and 18·07 ct of round brilliant-cut white diamonds. Araya A. Hargate (‘Chompoo’) wore a sheer powder-blue Atelier Versace corset gown.
Marcia Grandini/Film Awards TV
Araya A. Hargate/Instagram