Haitian director and actress Gessica Généus is returning to the Cannes Film Festival in 2026 with her film “Marie Madeleine.” Généus, who began her career as an actress in Richard Sénécal’s Barikad, continues her journey as a director. Five years after her acclaimed film Freda, she returns to the 79th edition of the world’s most prestigious film festival, with her new feature included in the official selection under the Cannes Première section.
“I struggle to describe what I feel because no word in the vocabulary would be appropriate when certain experiences transcend language,” she told Ticket magazine. According to Généus, Marie Madeleine is the culmination of five years of writing and fundraising, but primarily the realization of an idea born fifteen years ago. She views her presence in Cannes as a dream held for over twenty years and a testament to the importance of remaining faithful to one’s identity and defending free cinema.
The film was shot in Haiti, specifically in the Southeast department in Jacmel, where the establishment of an evangelical church across from a brothel sparks intense tensions. In this explosive moral conflict, Marie Madeleine, a sex worker, begins an unexpected relationship with Joseph, the pastor’s son, who is forced to hide his homosexuality. The cast features prominent Haitian figures such as Beonard Monteau, Gaëlle Bien-Aimé, and Édouard Baptiste. The 90-minute drama is a SaNoSi Productions project and will have its world premiere on May 14. The festival will run from May 12 to May 23, 2026.
