“Titane” director Julia Ducournau made a triumphant return to Cannes Monday evening with her follow-up “Alpha,” a mother-daughter infection thriller that earned a thunderous 11.5-minute ovation after its premiere — one of the most glowing in-person receptions thus far at this year’s film festival.
The premiere of “Alpha” faced a brief interruption when, about an hour into the premiere, attendees in the balcony began waving their phone flashlights. Some audience members began shouting for a doctor in French, asking for the screening to be halted. Paramedics eventually arrived and, shortly after, one audience member was carried out on a stretcher. The film continued without pausing as the incident unfolded.
Variety has reached out to the festival press office for more information. It remains unclear what the cause of the medical emergency was. The incident did not appear to be related to the content of Ducournau’s film, which had not yet reached any shocking material in its storyline.
“Alpha” stars Cannes regulars Golshifteh Farahani and Tahar Rahim opposite “Sex Education” favorite Emma Mackey and Finnegan Oldfield. The plot centers on the title character, a troubled 13-year-old living with her single mother. Per the Cannes synopsis: “Their world collapses the day she returns from school with a tattoo on her arm.”
Ducournau is a Cannes history-maker thanks to her last directorial effort, “Titane.” The body horror psychological drama was one of the most provocative titles at the 2021 festival and won the Palme d’Or, making Ducournau only the second female director to win Cannes’ top prize. “Alpha” is the director’s third movie. Her first, 2016’s “Raw,” premiered at Cannes in the Critics’ Week sidebar.
When Ducournau accepted the Palme d’Or in 2021, she described watching the Cannes awards each year as a child. ”At that time, I was sure that all the films awarded must have been perfect because they were on the stage,” she said. “And tonight, I’m on that same stage, but I know my film is not perfect — but I think no film is perfect in the eyes of the person who made it. You could even say mine is monstrous.”
“Alpha” marks Ducournau’s second Cannes competition title. Neon, which distributed “Titane,” has teamed up with the filmmaker once again for the “Alpha” release.
variety.com
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