Haitian director Gessica Généus celebrated the world premiere of her second feature film, Marie Madeleine, on Thursday, May 14, 2026, at the Cannes Film Festival. Screened at the Debussy theater inside the Palais des Festivals, the movie drew a full house of 1,200 film enthusiasts under the Cannes Première section. Speaking to journalist Frantz Duval on the Croisette shortly after the screening, a deeply moved and joyful Généus expressed immense relief and happiness regarding how well the audience received her latest work.
The 103-minute feature film is set against the backdrop of Jacmel, in southeast Haiti, where Marie Madeleine (portrayed by Généus herself), a free-spirited woman working as a prostitute, lives her life unbothered by societal moral judgments. The plot thickens as she develops a relationship with Joseph, the pastor’s adoptive son, bringing together two diametrically opposed worlds to explore themes of desire, faith, and the quest for freedom. Speaking with TV5 Monde, the filmmaker noted that growing up in a deeply religious environment made her highly aware of institutional contradictions, stating that while religion is supposed to champion love and tolerance, fear often dominated the religious circles she experienced in Haiti.
For this project, Généus benefited from a larger budget and a more robust production team than on her 2021 debut film, Freda, thanks to increased local and international backing, including financial aid from the International Organization of La Francophonie’s (OIF) Image Fund. Much like Freda five years prior, Marie Madeleine is featured out of competition in Cannes Première. Established in 2021, this specific category highlights exclusive world premieres from established directors whose work might not fit the traditional Competition criteria. For this 79th edition, the lineup also includes new films by high-profile figures such as John Travolta, Daniel Auteuil, Christophe Honoré, and Kiyoshi Kurosawa.
