The house partnered with French indie cinema group MK2 to sponsor the film festival.
Chanel will combine fashion, film, and art as it joins forces with MK2 to sponsor Cinema Paradiso, a four-day open-air film festival held at the Louvre’s Cour Carrée. From Wednesday to Saturday, the museum will be transformed into a community space, offering concerts and film screenings free to the public. On opening night, Chanel will welcome long-time ambassador Sofia Coppola to present her cult classic film, The Virgin Suicides. This year will commemorate its 25th anniversary.
Coppola and Chanel have a deep relationship, having most recently partnered for Chanel’s most recent Cruise collection, for which Coppola directed the teaser. It’s part of Chanel’s long-term engagement with the film industry as a whole, overseen by a dedicated film division helmed by Elsa Heizmann. The house’s support of Cinema Paradiso reflects its commitment to supporting cinema as an artistic institution, not just a red carpet provider.
The event coincides with the gap between men’s and couture weeks, as well as the Louvre’s first exhibition dedicated entirely to fashion, which is on display through August 24. As such, the festival has chosen to further highlight the ties between the two industries, choosing fashion-forward films such as Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love, considered one of the most stylish films of its decade. Other programming includes a tribute to the late director David Lynch, whose films MK2 distributed, and the public premiere of the Brazilian feature The Secret Agent, which earned director Kleber Mendonça Filho and star Wagner Moura the Best Director and Best Actor prizes at Cannes in May.
