2021, the year of the Golden Palm for Lyna Khoudri?

Those who have not yet followed her met her last year at the Césars ceremony, where the young Franco-Algerian actress dazzled everyone and won a statuette in the Best Female Hope category for her role in Papicha. Today, only one year later, Lyna Khoudri confirms that she has not usurped her place in the elite of the 7th art, since she finds herself in The French Dispatch, the latest project of the highly acclaimed American director Wes Anderson.

The French Dispatch is a comedy-drama that features a collection of stories from the latest issue of an American magazine published in a fictional 20th century French town: Ennui-sur-Blasé. It takes up the codes dear to the director, with an advanced aesthetic, ultra symmetrical shots, and a general atmosphere quite dreamlike. 

A prestigious cast

Initially scheduled for 2020 but postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the film will make its world premiere in competition at Cannes 2021, where it will enter the official competition, with an undeniable status of favorite in the race for the Palme d’Or. And for good reason, with such a plethora of stars on the poster, it is difficult to escape: we obviously find Bill Murray, the director’s favorite actor, accompanied on screen by Timothée Chalamet or Tilda Swinton. On the French side, we find, to give the line to Lyna Khoudri, two actors that Wes Anderson has already directed in The Grand Budapest Hotel, his 8th feature film: Léa Seydoux and Mathieu Amalric. 

Young but confirmed

For her part, Khoudri is not exactly a beginner either and should not feel intimidated. She has already won the Orizzonti award for best actress at the 2017 Venice Film Festival in Sofia Djama’s The Blessed. Later, she landed the lead role in Papicha, presented in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. A performance that earned her the César for Best Female Hope. The two films, whose story takes place in Algeria in the 90s-2000s, and deal with socio-political issues very rooted in reality, echo the life of the actress, whose family fled the country during the civil war. 

One thing is certain, Lyna Khoudri’s career is now well underway, as her talent has seduced the much sought after Wes Anderson. In “The French Dispatch”, she will play the girlfriend of Zeffirelli, played by Timothée Chalamet. Case to follow very closely …