Festivals - FCAD 2020 : Vanessa Paradis, jury president

By Mulder, 10 june 2020

Vanessa Paradis is a French singer, actress and model. She became famous at the age of fourteen with her first album Joe le taxi and has since pursued a career in music, film and fashion. At sixteen, in the film Noce blanche, she played the role of the lover of one of her teachers. Since 1991, she has been one of Chanel's official models.

« There were 1,001 reasons to invite Vanessa Paradis to preside over the jury of the 46th Deauville American Film Festival: her early and enduring rise to fame, her varied realms of expression - song, cinema, fashion - her development into a generous, responsible and engaged woman, her multi-faceted international career… Her talent and celebrity have seduced audiences everywhere, including beyond our borders. But above all, we wished to honor an atypical and audacious artist. A singing child prodigy, she made her stunning film debut in Jean-Claude Brisseau’s White Wedding, for which she received the Most Promising Actress César and the Romy Schneider Prize. Her dazzling introduction didn’t stop there, far from it. Some 30 directors have called upon her since (Patrice Leconte, Yann Gonzalez, Jean-Marc Vallée, John Turturro, Jean Becker, Sharunas Bartas, Samuel Benchetrit…). On the music side, with 7 albums and 3 Victoire de la Musique awards, in French as well as English, Vanessa Paradis has inspired the greatest composers: from Serge Gainsbourg to Matthieu Chedid by way of Alain Bashung, Étienne Roda-Gil, Lenny Kravitz and so many others… As a member of the Cannes Film Festival jury in 2015, she sharpened her cinematic gaze under jury president George Miller… A premonition for Deauville? Vanessa Paradis has that unique gift of the greatest actors, to blend into the universe of those artists who direct her, always with humility and a singular voice. Images of her singing the refrain of “The Whirlwind of Life” live in front of Jeanne Moreau at the 48th Cannes Film Festival opening ceremony were a feast for our eyes and memories. The festival is overjoyed to have such a beautiful president.» - Bruno Barde, Festival Director

Filmography :
1989 : Noce blanche directed by Jean-Claude Brisseau
1995 : Élisa directed by Jean Becker
1997 : Witch Way Love directed by René Manzor
1998 : Une chance sur deux directed by Patrice Leconte
1999 : Girl on the Bridge directed by Patrice Leconte
2004 : Atomik Circus, the return of James Bataille directed by Didier Poiraud and Thierry Poiraud
2005 : My angel directed by Serge Frydman
2007 : La Clef directed by Guillaume Nicloux
2010 : Heartbreaker directed by Pascal Chaumeil
2012 : Dubaï Flamingo directed by Delphine Kreuter
2012 : Café de Flore directed by Jean-Marc Vallée
2012 : Je me suis fait tout petit directed by Cécilia Rouaud
2012 : Cornouaille directed by Anne Le Ny
2014 : Fading Gigolo directed by John Turturro
2014 : Sous les jupes des filles directed by Audrey Dana
2016 : Yoga Hosers directed by Kevin Smith
2017 : Maryline directed by Guillaume Gallienne
2017 : Frost directed by Šar?nas Bartas
2017 : Chien directed by Samuel Benchetrit
2018 : Photo de famille directed by Cécilia Rouaud
2018 : Knife + Heart directed by Yann Gonzalez

(Source : press release)