Cannes 2015: Emmanuelle Bercot’s ‘La Tete Haute’ to open festival

French actress and filmmaker Emmanuelle Bercot’s coming-of-age drama “La Tete Haute” will open the 2015 Cannes Film Festival on May 13, marking the first time since 1987 that a female director’s film will open the proceedings, organizers announced Monday.

Bercot’s film follows a juvenile delinquent (Rod Paradot) from childhood to adulthood; Catherine Deneuve, Benoit Magimel and Sara Forestier costar.

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For the Record

April 13, 2:46 p.m.: Due to an error in the organizers’ original announcement, a previous version of this post said Bercot would be the first female filmmaker ever to open the Cannes Film Festival. Diane Kurys’ “A Man in Love” opened the fest in 1987.

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In recent years, Cannes has favored high-profile, star-studded opening films such as “Grace of Monaco” (2014), “The Great Gatsby” (2013) and “Midnight in Paris” (2011). This year the gathering is taking a different approach with a less splashy French film.

“The choice of this film may seem surprising, given the rules generally applied to the Festival de Cannes Opening Ceremony,” event director Thierry Fremaux said in a statement. “It is a clear reflection of our desire to see the festival start with a different piece, which is both bold and moving.”

It has not been announced whether “La Tete haute” will premiere in or out of competition. The official selection for this year’s festival will be unveiled Thursday.

Joel and Ethan Coen will preside over the festival’s main competition jury, Isabella Rossellini will chair the Un Certain Regard jury, and Abderrahmane Sissako will lead the Cinefondation and short film jury.

The Cannes Film Festival will take place May 13-24.

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