1984–1991 Binoche's early films established her as a French star of some renown. Godard requested a meeting with Binoche having seen a photo of her taken by her boyfriend at the time. Although she said she spent six months on the film's set in Geneva, her presence in the final cut is confined to just a few scenes. Further supporting roles followed in a variety of French films.
Annick Lanoë's
Les Nanas gave Binoche her most noteworthy role to date, playing opposite established stars
Marie-France Pisier and
Macha Méril in a mainstream comedy, though she has stated the experience was not particularly memorable or influential. She gained more significant exposure in
Jacques Doillon's critically acclaimed
Family Life cast as the volatile teenage step-daughter of
Sami Frey's central character. This film was to set the tone of her early career. Doillon has commented that in the original screenplay her character was written to be 14 years old, but he was so impressed with Binoche's audition he changed the character's age to 17 to allow her take the role.
Rendez-vous premiered at the
1985 Cannes Film Festival, winning Best Director. The film was a sensation and Binoche became the darling of the festival.
Rendez-Vous is the story of a provincial actress, Nina (Binoche), who arrives in Paris and embarks on a series of dysfunctional liaisons with several men, including the moody, suicidal Quentin (
Lambert Wilson). However it is her collaboration with theater director Scrutzler, played by
Jean-Louis Trintignant, which comes to define Nina. In a review of
Rendez-Vous in
Film Comment,
Armond White described it as "Juliette Binoche's career-defining performance". In 1986, Binoche was nominated for her first
César for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in the film. Following
Rendez-Vous, she was unsure of what role to take next. She auditioned unsuccessfully for
Yves Boisset's ''Bleu comme l'enfer'' and
Robin Davis's Hors la loi, Binoche has commented that Rouffio's film is very significant to her career as it taught her to judge roles based on the quality of the screenplay and her connection with a director, not on the reputation of other cast members. Later in 1986, she again starred opposite Michel Piccoli in
Leos Carax's
Mauvais Sang. This film was a critical and commercial success, leading to Binoche's second César nomination.
Mauvais Sang is an avant-garde thriller in which she plays Anna the vastly younger lover of Marc (Piccoli) who falls in love with Alex (Denis Lavant), a young thief. Binoche has stated that she "discovered the camera" while shooting this film. In August 1986, Binoche began filming
Philip Kaufman's adaptation of
Milan Kundera's novel
The Unbearable Lightness of Being, portraying the young and innocent Tereza. Released in 1988, this was Binoche's first English language role and was a worldwide success with critics and audiences alike. Set against the
USSR's invasion of
Prague in 1968, the film tells the story of the relationships a Czech surgeon, Tomas (
Daniel Day-Lewis), has with his wife Tereza and his lover Sabina (
Lena Olin). Binoche has stated that at the time her English was very limited and that she relied on a French translation to fully grasp her role. After this success, Binoche decided to return to France rather than pursue an international career. In 1988, she filmed the lead in Pierre Pradinas's
Un tour de manège, a little-seen French film opposite
François Cluzet. Later that year, she began work on
Leos Carax's
Les Amants du Pont-Neuf. The film was beset by problems and took three years to complete, requiring investment from three producers and funds from the French government. When finally released in 1991,
Les Amants du Pont-Neuf was a critical success. Binoche won a
European Film Award as well as securing her third César nomination for her performance. In the film Binoche portrays an artist who lives rough on the famous Parisian bridge where she meets another young vagrant (Denis Lavant). This iconic part of the city becomes the backdrop for a wildly passionate love story and some of the most visually arresting images of the city ever created. The paintings featured in the film were Binoche's own work. The film became somewhat contentious when, according to Mike Figgis, HBO altered it once he had completed it. The film premiered on HBO in the U.S. on 18 August 1991. At this point, Binoche seemed to be at a crossroads in her career. She was recognized as one of the most significant French actresses of her generation. However, the long production of
Les Amants du Pont-Neuf had forced her to turn down several significant roles in international productions including
The Double Life of Véronique by
Krzysztof Kieślowski,
Cyrano de Bergerac by
Jean-Paul Rappeneau,
Night and Day by
Chantal Akerman, and
Beyond the Aegean, an aborted project with
Elia Kazan. Binoche then chose to pursue an international career outside France. In this period, her persona developed from that of a young gamine to a more melancholic, tragic presence. Critics suggested that many of her roles were notable for her almost passive intensity in the face of tragedy and despair. In fact, Binoche has nicknamed her characters from this period as her "sorrowful sisters". Following the long shoot of
Les Amants du Pont-Neuf, Binoche relocated to London for the 1992 productions of ''
Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights and Damage'', both of which considerably enhanced her international reputation. Yet, from a professional and personal point of view, both films were significant challenges for Binoche; her casting opposite
Ralph Fiennes's Heathcliff in
Wuthering Heights, instead of English actresses
Helena Bonham Carter and
Kate Beckinsale, was immediately contentious and drew derision from the British press, unimpressed that a uniquely English role had gone to a French actress. The film had its world premiere at the
1992 Edinburgh International Film Festival. Reviews were poor, with Binoche being cynically dubbed "Cathy Clouseau" and derided for her
"franglais" accent. Both Binoche and director
Peter Kosminsky distanced themselves from the film, with Binoche refusing to do any promotion for the film or to redub it into French.
Damage, a UK and French co-production, is the story of a British Conservative minister played by
Jeremy Irons who embarks on a torrid affair with his son's fiancée (Binoche). Based on the novel by
Josephine Hart and directed by veteran French director
Louis Malle,
Damage seemed to be the ideal international vehicle for Binoche; however the production was fraught with difficulties and dogged by rumours of serious conflict. In an on-set interview, Malle stated that it was the "most difficult" film he had ever made, while Binoche commented that "the first day was one big argument".
Damage opened in the UK late in 1992 and debuted early in 1993 on US screens. Reviews were somewhat mixed. For her performance, Binoche received her fourth César nomination. In 1993, she appeared in
Krzysztof Kieślowski's
Three Colours: Blue to much critical acclaim. The first film in a trilogy inspired by the ideals of the French republic and the colors of its flag,
Three Colors: Blue is the story of a young woman who loses her composer husband and daughter in a car accident. Though devastated she learns to cope by rejecting her previous life in favor of conscious "nothing"; rejecting all people, belongings and emotions.
Three Colours: Blue premiered at the 1993
Venice Film Festival, landing Binoche the Best Actress Prize. She also won a
César, and a nomination for the
Golden Globe. Binoche has said her inspirations for the role were her friend and coach Vernice Klier who suffered a similar tragedy, and the book
The Black Veil by
Anny Duperey which deals with the author's grief at losing her parents at a young age. Binoche made cameo appearances in the other two films in Kieślowski's trilogy,
Three Colours: White and
Three Colours: Red. Around this time, Steven Spielberg offered her roles in
Jurassic Park and ''
Schindler's List. She turned down both parts. After the success of Three Colors: Blue'', Binoche took a short
sabbatical during which she gave birth to her son Raphaël in September 1993. In 1995, Binoche returned to the screen in a big-budget adaptation of
Jean Giono's
The Horseman on the Roof directed by
Jean-Paul Rappeneau. The film was particularly significant in France as it was at the time the most expensive film in the history of French cinema. The film was a box office success around the world and Binoche was again nominated for a César for Best Actress. This role, as a romantic heroine, was to influence the direction of many of her subsequent roles in the late 1990s. In 1996, Binoche appeared in her first comedic role since
My Brother-in-Law Killed My Sister a decade before;
A Couch in New York was directed by
Chantal Akerman and co-starred
William Hurt. This screw-ball comedy tells the story of a New York psychiatrist who swaps homes with a Parisian dancer. The film was a critical and commercial failure.
Three Colors: Blue,
The Horseman on the Roof and
A Couch in New York all gave Binoche the opportunity to work with prestigious directors she had turned down during the prolonged shoot of
Les Amants du Pont-Neuf. Produced by
Saul Zaentz, producer of
The Unbearable Lightness of Being, the film reunited Juliette Binoche with Ralph Fiennes, Heathcliff to her Cathy four years previously. Binoche has said that the shoot on location in Tuscany and at the famed
Cinecittà in Rome was among the happiest professional experiences of her career. With this film, she became the second French actress to win an Oscar, following
Simone Signoret's win for
Room at the Top in 1960. After this international hit, Binoche returned to France and began work opposite
Daniel Auteuil on
Claude Berri's
Lucie Aubrac, the true story of a French Resistance heroine. Binoche was released from the film six weeks into the shoot due to differences with Berri regarding the authenticity of his script. Binoche has described this event as being like "an earthquake" to her. Next, Binoche was reunited with director André Téchiné for
Alice et Martin (1998), the story of a relationship between an emotionally damaged Parisian musician and her younger lover who hides a dark family secret. The film failed to find an audience in France, although it was critically acclaimed in the UK. In February 1998, Binoche made her London stage debut in a new version of
Luigi Pirandello's
Clothe the Naked re-titled
Naked and adapted by
Nicolas Wright. The production, directed by
Jonathan Kent, was very favorably received. Following this acclaimed performance, she returned to French screens with
Children of the Century (1999), a big budget romantic epic, in which she played 19th-century French proto-feminist author
George Sand. The film depicted Sand's affair with the poet and dandy
Alfred de Musset played by
Benoît Magimel. The following year saw Binoche in four contrasting roles, each of which enhanced her reputation.
La Veuve de Saint-Pierre (2000) by
Patrice Leconte, for which she was nominated for a César for Best Actress, was a period drama which saw Binoche appear opposite
Daniel Auteuil in the role of a woman who attempts to save a condemned man from the guillotine. The film won favorable reviews, particularly in the U.S. where it was nominated for a
Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. Next, she appeared in
Michael Haneke's
Code Unknown, a film which was made following Binoche's approach to the Austrian director. The film premiered in competition at the
2000 Cannes Film Festival. This critically acclaimed role was a welcome change from playing the romantic heroine in a series of costume dramas. Later that year, Binoche made her Broadway debut in an adaptation of
Harold Pinter's
Betrayal for which she was nominated for a
Tony Award. Staged by the
Roundabout Theatre Company and directed by
David Leveaux, the production also featured
Liev Schreiber and
John Slattery. Back on screen, Binoche was the heroine of the
Lasse Hallström film
Chocolat from the best selling novel by
Joanne Harris. For her role Binoche won a
European Film Audience Award for Best Actress and was nominated for an Academy Award and a
BAFTA.
Chocolat is the story of a mysterious stranger who opens a
chocolaterie in a conservative French village in 1959. The film was a worldwide hit. Between 1995 and 2000, Binoche was the advertising face of the
Lancôme perfume
Poème, her image adorning print campaigns photographed by
Richard Avedon and a television advertising campaign, including an advert directed by
Anthony Minghella and scored by
Gabriel Yared. By the end of this period and following roles in a number of prestige productions, critics were wondering if Binoche was
typecast as the tragic, despairing muse. In a feature article titled "The Erotic Face" in the June 2000 edition of British film criticism magazine
Sight and Sound, Ginette Vincendeau pondered Binoche's persona; Vincendeau suggested that the fixation of numerous directors upon her face had led to an erasure of her body, and to her being perceived only as a romantic icon rather than a versatile actress. The film, directed by
Daniele Thompson, was a box office hit in France and Binoche was once again nominated for a César for Best Actress. The film tells the story of a couple who meet at an airport during a strike. Initially the pair despises each other, but, over the course of one night, they find common ground and maybe even love. This playful spirit continued when Binoche featured in a 2003 Italian television commercial for the chocolates
Ferrero Rocher. The advertisement played upon her
Chocolat persona featuring Binoche handing out the chocolates to people on the streets of Paris. In a more serious vein, Binoche traveled to South Africa to make
John Boorman's
In My Country (2004) opposite
Samuel L. Jackson. Based on the book
Country of My Skull by
Antjie Krog, the film examines
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) hearings following the abolition of Apartheid in the mid-1990s. Although the film premiered at the
2004 Berlin International Film Festival, it received much criticism for the inclusion of a fictional romantic liaison and for its depiction of black South Africans. Despite the negative reception, Binoche was extremely enthusiastic about the film and her connection with Boorman. Her sister, Marion Stalens, also traveled to South Africa to shoot a documentary,
La réconciliation?, which explores the TRC process and follows Binoche's progress as she acts in Boorman's film. Next, Binoche re-teamed with Michael Haneke for
Caché. The film was an immediate success, winning best director for Haneke at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival, while Binoche was nominated for a European Film Award for Best Actress for her role. The film tells the story of a bourgeois Parisian couple, played by Binoche and
Daniel Auteuil, who begin to receive anonymous videotapes containing footage shot over long periods, surveying the outside of their home.
Caché went on to feature in the number one position on the "Top 10 of the 2000s" list published by The Times at the end of the decade. Binoche's next film,
Bee Season, based on the celebrated novel by
Myla Goldberg, cast her opposite
Richard Gere. The film was not a success at the box office taking less than $5 million worldwide. For many critics the film, although intelligent, was "distant and diffuse".
Bee Season depicts the emotional disintegration of a family just as their daughter begins to win national spelling bees.
Mary (2005) featured Binoche in a somewhat unlikely collaboration with the controversial American director
Abel Ferrara for an investigation of modern faith and
Mary Magdalene's position within the Catholic Church. Featuring
Forest Whitaker,
Matthew Modine and
Marion Cotillard,
Mary was a success, winning the Grand Prix at the 2005 Venice Film Festival. Despite these accolades and favorable reviews, particularly from the cultural magazine
Les Inrockuptibles,
Mary failed to secure a distributor in key markets such as the US and the UK. The Cannes Film Festival in 2006 saw Binoche feature in the
anthology film ''
Paris, je t'aime'' appearing in a section directed by the Japanese director
Nobuhiro Suwa. Suwa's
Place des Victoires is the story of a grief-stricken mother who manages to have a final brief moment with her dead son. The segment also features
Willem Dafoe and
Hippolyte Girardot. ''Paris, je t'aime
was a popular success, taking over $17 million, at the world box-office. In September 2006, Binoche appeared at the Venice Film Festival to launch A Few Days in September, written and directed by Santiago Amigorena. Despite an impressive cast including John Turturro, Nick Nolte and up-and-coming French star Sara Forestier, the film was a failure. A Few Days in September'' is a thriller set between 5 and 11 September 2001, in which Binoche plays a French secret service agent, who may, or may not, have information relating to impending attacks on the U.S. The film was the recipient of harsh criticism from the press for its perceived trivialisation of the events of 11 September 2001. While promoting the film in the UK, Binoche told an interviewer she believed the CIA and other government agencies must have had foreknowledge of the
11 September attacks, as depicted in the film. Next, Binoche traveled to the
2006 Toronto International Film Festival for the premiere of
Breaking and Entering, her second film with Anthony Minghella in the director's chair, based on his first original screenplay since his breakthrough film
Truly, Madly, Deeply (1991). In
Breaking and Entering, Binoche played a Bosnian refugee living in London, while
Jude Law co-starred as a well-to-do businessman drawn into her life via an act of deception. In preparation for her role, Binoche traveled to
Sarajevo where she met women who had survived the war of the 1990s. Lushly photographed by
Benoît Delhomme,
Breaking and Entering portrays intersecting lives amongst the flux of urban renewal in inner-city London. Despite the fact that Binoche was praised for her performance, the film did not ring true for critics and failed to find an audience. In a review in
Variety, Todd McCarthy writes that, "Binoche, physically unchanged as ever, plays Amira's controlled anguish with skill".
Breaking and Entering also featured
Robin Wright,
Vera Farmiga,
Juliet Stevenson,
Rafi Gavron and
Martin Freeman. Although Binoche began the decade on a professional high with an Academy Award nomination for
Chocolat, she struggled at the beginning of the 2000s to secure roles that did not confine her to the tragic, melancholic persona developed in the 1990s. Despite the huge success of
Caché, other high-profile films such as
In My Country,
Bee Season and
Breaking and Entering failed critically and commercially. Binoche again seemed to be at a crossroads in her career. The film was well received by international critics and went on to debut around the world early in 2008. Paying homage to
Albert Lamorisse's 1957 short
The Red Balloon, Hou's film tells the story of a woman's efforts to juggle her responsibilities as a single mother with her commitment to her career as a voice artist. Shot on location in Paris, the film was entirely improvised by the cast. The film was number one on the influential critic J. Hoberman's "Top 10 List" for 2008 published in
The Village Voice. She was also honored with the
Maureen O'Hara Award at the
Kerry Film Festival in 2010, an award offered to women who have excelled in their chosen field in film.
Disengagement by
Amos Gitai premiered out-of-competition at the 2007 Venice Film Festival. Co-starring Liron Levo and
Jeanne Moreau,
Disengagement is a political drama charting the story of a French woman, of Dutch/Palestinian origin, who goes in search of a daughter she abandoned 20 years previously on the Gaza strip. She arrives in Gaza during the 2005 Israeli
disengagement. The film won the prestigious
Premio Roberto Rossellini and was critically acclaimed, particularly by the eminent
Cahiers du cinéma. However the film proved more controversial in Israel where state television station
Channel 1 withdrew financial support for the film citing the "left-wing nature of Gitai's films". In stark contrast,
Peter Hedges co-wrote and directed the
Disney-produced
Dan in Real Life, a romantic comedy featuring Binoche alongside
Steve Carell. It was released in October 2007, becoming a popular commercial success in the US, before debuting around the world in 2008. The film grossed over $65 million at the worldwide box-office.
Dan in Real Life is the story of a widowed man (Carell) who meets, and instantly falls for, a woman (Binoche), only to discover she is the new girlfriend of his brother. The film also features
Dane Cook,
Emily Blunt and
Dianne Wiest. Back in France, Binoche experienced popular and critical success in
Paris directed by
Cédric Klapisch.
Paris is Klapisch's personal ode to the French capital and features an impressive ensemble of French talent, including
Romain Duris,
Fabrice Luchini and
Mélanie Laurent.
Paris was one of the most successful French films internationally in recent years, having grossed over $22 million at the world box office. Binoche and Klapisch had originally met on the set of
Mauvais Sang in 1986, where Klapisch was working as a set electrician. Also in France,
Summer Hours (2008), directed by
Olivier Assayas, is the critically acclaimed story of three siblings who struggle with the responsibility of disposing of their late mother's valuable art collection. The film premiered in France in March 2008 and had its U.S. debut at the
2008 New York Film Festival, before going on general release in the U.S. on 19 May 2009. Widely acclaimed, the film was nominated for the
Prix Louis Delluc in France and appeared on numerous U.S. "Top 10 lists", including first place on David Edelstein's "Top 10 of 2009" list in
New York magazine, and J. R. Jones's list in the
Chicago Reader.
Summer Hours also features
Charles Berling,
Jérémie Renier and
Édith Scob. In the autumn of 2008, Binoche starred in a theatrical dance production titled
in-i, co-created with renowned choreographer
Akram Khan. The show, a love story told through dance and dialogue, featured stage design by
Anish Kapoor and music by
Philip Sheppard. It premiered at the
National Theatre in London before embarking on a world tour.
The Sunday Times in the UK commented that, "Binoche's physical achievement is incredible: Khan is a master mover". The production was part of a 'Binoche Season' titled ''Ju'Bi'lations
, also featuring a retrospective of her film work and an exhibition of her paintings, which were also published in a bilingual book Portraits in Eyes''. The book featured ink portraits of Binoche as each of her characters and of each director she had worked with up to that time. She also penned a few lines to each director. In April 2006 and again in December 2007, Binoche traveled to Tehran at the invitation of Abbas Kiarostami. While there in 2007, she shot a cameo appearance in his film
Shirin (2008) which he was shooting at the time. Binoche's visit proved controversial when two Iranian MPs raised the matter in parliament, advising more caution be exercised in granting visas to foreign celebrities which might lead to "cultural destruction". In June 2009, Binoche began work on
Certified Copy directed by Kiarostami. The film was an Official Selection in competition at the
2010 Cannes Film Festival. Binoche won the Best Actress Award at the festival for her performance. The film went on general release in France on 19 May 2010 to very positive reviews. Her win at the 2010 Cannes Film festival makes Binoche the first actress to win the European "best actress triple crown": Best Actress at Venice for
Three Colors: Blue, Best Actress at Berlin for
The English Patient and Best Actress at Cannes for
Certified Copy. The September 2010 UK release of the film was overshadowed when French actor
Gérard Depardieu made disparaging comments about Binoche to the Austrian magazine
Profil, "Please can you explain to me what the mystery of Juliette Binoche is meant to be?" he said. "I would really like to know why she has been so esteemed for so many years. She has nothing – absolutely nothing". In response, while promoting
Certified Copy, Binoche spoke to movie magazine
Empire saying, "I don't know him. I understand you don't have to like everyone and you can dislike someone's work. But I don't understand the violence [of his statements]... I do not understand why he is behaving like this. It is his problem."
Certified Copy proved to be controversial in Kiarostami's homeland when Iranian authorities announced on 27 May 2010 that the film was to be banned in Iran, apparently due to Binoche's attire; Deputy Culture Minister Javad Shamaqdari is quoted as saying, "If Juliette Binoche were better clad it could have been screened but due to her attire there will not be a general screening." Following the success of
Certified Copy, Binoche appeared in a brief supporting role in
The Son of No One for American writer and director
Dito Montiel. The film also stars
Channing Tatum,
Al Pacino and
Ray Liotta.
The Son of No One premiered at the
2011 Sundance Film Festival to fairly negative reaction. It was acquired by
Anchor Bay Entertainment for distribution in the US and other key territories arriving in selected US cinemas on 4 November 2011. , according to film review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes,
The Son of No One is Juliette Binoche's least critically successful film, with only 18% of critics giving it a positive review. In June 2010, Binoche started work on
Elles for Polish director
Małgorzata Szumowska.
Elles, produced under the working title
Sponsoring, is an examination of teenage prostitution with Juliette Binoche playing a journalist for
ELLE. The film was released in France on 1 February 2012. On 12 January 2011, Variety announced that Juliette Binoche would star in ''
Another Woman's Life loosely based on the novel La Vie d'une Autre
by Frédérique Deghelt. Released in France on 15 February 2012, the film is the directorial debut of the French actress Sylvie Testud and co-stars actor/director Mathieu Kassovitz. Another Woman's Life'' is the story of Marie (Binoche) a young woman who meets and spends the night with Paul (Kassovitz). When she wakes up, she discovers that 15 years have passed. With no memory of these years she learns she has acquired an impressive career, a son and a marriage to Paul which seems headed for divorce. The film met with generally mixed reviews in France. On 17 February 2011, Screendaily announced that Binoche had been cast in David Cronenberg's film
Cosmopolis with
Robert Pattinson,
Paul Giamatti,
Mathieu Amalric, and
Samantha Morton. Binoche appeared in a supporting role as a New York art dealer, Didi Fancher, who is having an affair with Pattinson's Eric Packer. The film, produced by Paulo Branco, began principal photography on 24 May 2011 and was released in 2012, following a competition slot at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.
Cosmopolis received mixed reviews from critics. August 2012 saw the French release of
An Open Heart opposite
Édgar Ramírez and directed by
Marion Laine. Based on the novel ''Remonter l'Orénoque
by Mathias Énard, the film is the story of the obsessive relationship between two highly successful surgeons. The film depicts the consequences of an unexpected pregnancy and alcoholism upon their relationship. The second film directed by Laine, An Open Heart'' met with tepid reviews in France and poor box office receipts.
2013–present Released at the 2013
Berlin International Film Festival,
Bruno Dumont's
Camille Claudel 1915 is a drama recounting three days of the 30 years French artist
Camille Claudel (Binoche) spent in a mental asylum though she had not been diagnosed with any malady. The film examines Claudel's fight to maintain her sanity and find creative inspiration while awaiting a visit from her brother, the poet
Paul Claudel. The film received excellent reviews with Binoche in particular gaining praise for her performance. Following this, Binoche completed work on
A Thousand Times Good Night for director
Erik Poppe in which she plays a war photographer and the romantic drama
Words and Pictures with
Clive Owen from veteran director
Fred Schepisi. She co-starred in
Gareth Edwards's
Godzilla, which was theatrically released in May 2014. August 2013 saw Binoche reunite with
Olivier Assayas for
Clouds of Sils Maria. The film was written especially for Binoche and plot elements parallel her life. It also featured
Kristen Stewart and
Chloë Grace Moretz. The film had its debut at Cannes 2014. Following this role Binoche was slated to appear in
Nobody Wants the Night by
Isabel Coixet which was due to begin shooting late in 2013. In 2015, Binoche starred on stage in a new English language translation of
Antigone. Directed by
Ivo van Hove, the production had a world premier in Luxembourg at the end of February. Then, it embarked an international tour to London, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Paris, Recklinghausen and New York. Binoche narrated the new documentary film titled
Talking about Rose about the
Chad soldier
Rose Lokissim who fought against
Hissène Habré's dictatorship in the 1980s. In 2016, Binoche reunited with
Bruno Dumont for the comedy film
Slack Bay. The 2016 Cannes Film Festival saw the première of
Slack Bay (
Ma Loute), also starring
Fabrice Luchini and
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, which is a burlesque comedy based in the Ambleteuse region of Northern France. Set in 1910, the film tells the unusual story of two families linked by an unlikely romance.
Ma Loute won much praise from French critics and was a popular success at the French box office. Following the success of her reunion with Bruno Dumont, Juliette Binoche next made a special appearance in
Polina, danser sa vie (2016) directed by Valérie Müller and Angelin Preljocaj, focusing on the story of a gifted Russian ballerina, Polina (Anastasia Shevtsoda). From Moscow to Aix-En-Provence and Antwerp, from success to disillusion, we follow Polina's incredible destiny. Binoche portrays a choreographer, Liria Elsaj, who awakens a desire in Polina to move away from classical ballet to explore more contemporary dance.
Telle mère, telle fille (
Like Mother, Like Daughter) (2017) is a comedy from Noémie Saglio and features Binoche as a free-wheeling 47-year-old who falls pregnant at the same time as her uptight daughter Avril (
Camille Cottin). The film also features
Lambert Wilson, reuniting with Binoche 32 years after they were a sensation at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival in André Téchiné's
Rendez-Vous. In May 2017 Binoche and Cottin appeared together again, this time on the small screen in the final episode of the second season of
Dix Pour Cent (
Call My Agent) where Juliette Binoche played herself in a tongue-in-cheek episode centering on the Cannes Film Festival. Returning to the big screen, Binoche next appeared in a supporting role in Rupert Sanders's big screen adaptation of the cult manga
Ghost in the Shell (2017). Binoche played Dr Ouelet, a scientist with the Hanka organization responsible for creating the ghost in the shell, Major, portrayed by
Scarlett Johansson. Binoche, Sanders and Johansson did extensive promotion for the film in the US, Japan, Europe and Australia. May 2017 saw the première of Claire Denis's
Un Beau Soleil Intérieur (
Let the Sunshine In) (2017) at the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs selection at the Cannes Film Festival. The film is the story of a middle-aged Parisian artist, Isabelle (Binoche), who is searching for true love at last. The film depicts her many encounters with a number of unsuitable men. The film also features
Xavier Beauvois,
Nicolas Duvauchelle,
Josiane Balasko,
Valeria-Bruni Tedeschi and
Gérard Depardieu.
Un Beau Soleil Intérieur was a success with audiences and critics around the world. Next, Binoche appeared in
Naomi Kawase's
Vision (2018). Following that, she reunited with
Claire Denis for the English language
High Life (2018), Olivier Assayas for
Doubles Vies (2019) and Patrice Leconte for
La maison vide (2019). In 2024, the Board of the
European Film Academy unanimously elected her President of the Academy, replacing
Agnieszka Holland, the Polish director, who decided to devote her time to filmmaking. On 4 February 2025, Binoche was named as jury president for that year's
Cannes Film Festival. ==Personal life==