Parisian fashion house Saint Laurent to present its first movie at Cannes 2023

Saint Laurent has been associated with high fashion. Founded by Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Berge, in 1962, the house is now veering into the business of movies.

Saint Laurent Productions, a division of the iconic design house, will be headed by creative director Anthony Vaccarello. It will launch its inaugural production in the upcoming Cannes Film Festival with Spanish work, Pedro Almodóvar’s Strange Way of Life. It sees Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal essaying two middle-aged gunslingers with a deep connection who meet after a 25-year separation.

The movie is Almodovar’s second work in English after The Human Voice (2020). A conversation will follow the film.

What is it all about? Almodovar said in a note: “A man rides a horse across the desert that separates him from Bitter Creek. He comes to visit Sheriff Jake. Twenty-five years earlier, both the Sheriff and Silva, the rancher who rides out to meet him, worked together as hired gunmen. Silva visits him with the excuse of reuniting with his friend from his youth, and they do indeed celebrate their meeting, but the next morning Silva tells Jake that the reason for his trip is not to go down the memory lane of their old friendship….I must say no more so as not to give away all the surprises of the script”

The title, Strange Way of Life, alludes to the famous Fado by Amalia Rodrigues, whose lyrics suggest that there is no stranger existence than the one that is lived by turning your back on your own desires.

The luxury brand is also promoting two more projects — David Cronenberg’s and Paolo Sorrentino’s works. “These directors never fail to open my mind and, in a way, the singular, radical vision they bring to cinema has made me the person I am today,” Vaccarello said in a statement.

Canada’s Cronenberg is a Cannes regular, and his last movie was Crimes of the Future. Italian helmer Sorrentino has also debuted his works at Cannes – including The Hand of God in 2021.

Canadian director Cronenberg is a favourite of Cannes and most recently premiered his latest film,Crimes of the Future, on the Croisette. And Italian director, Sorrentino, has also debuted his films in Cannes, including The Hand of God in 2021.

The stars of the films will be dressed in the costumes designed by Vaccarello.

“I want to work with and provide a space for all the great movie talents who have inspired me over the years,” he added.