In 1978, France’s middle class was taking a direct hit from the economic crisis. For the French, who had long regarded work as one of life’s highest priorities, the shadow of unemployment was beginning to creep into everyday life. Drawing on memories of his own childhood, Christoph Honoré weaves a story in Orange-Flavoured Wedding that is deeply personal yet speaks to an entire era. Amid the heady atmosphere of a wedding filled with drunken revelry, conflict, and reconciliation, Honoré sharply captures the moment an era draws to a close. In particular, the death of popular singer Claude François symbolizes the end of an age defined by innocence and optimism. While reviving the grand, expansive narrative characteristics of 1970s French cinema, including Claude Sautet’s The Things of Life (1970), Honoré also displays his singular gift for bringing his characters vividly and humanely to life. This ensemble film brings together some of the finest actors working today, including Vincent Lacoste (Lost Illusions), Adèle Exarchopoulos (Blue Is the Warmest Colour), and Paul Kircher (The Animal Kingdom).
Christophe Honoré was born in Brittany, France in 1970. A writer of some thirty children′s books and five novels, he has also worked as a film critic and co-written screenplays for several directors, including Gaël Morel and Louis Garrel. He made his feature debut with Seventeen Times Cécile Cassard (2002), then established his distinctive voice for exploring contemporary love through a musical form with Love Songs (2007), which was invited to the main competition at Cannes. Sorry Angel (2018) also competed at Cannes and won the Louis Delluc Prize, while On a Magical Night (2019) earned Chiara Mastroianni the Best Actress award in the Un Certain Regard section. He returned to the Cannes competition with Marcello Mio (2024), starring Catherine Deneuve and Chiara Mastroianni. His latest film, Orange-Flavoured Wedding, is a family drama starring Adèle Exarchopoulos and Vincent Lacoste, based on his autobiographical play Le Ciel de Nantes. It premiered in the Cannes Premiere section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.
From Busan International Film Festival 2026, No. 31
