Lyanna Mormont fans, take note. Cannes will see the arrival of another strong-willed, self-assured, pint-sized female warrior. A trailer has arrived for “Joan of Arc,” in which a 10-year-old actress, Lise Leplat Prudhomme, portrays the iconic martyr.
Set to premiere in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section, “Joan of Arc” depicts Jeanne being put on trial for heresy after claiming God chose her to lead France’s army in the war with England. No one believes her — least of all the clergy, who are outraged at the notion that God would speak directly to a woman. Even though she is staring down execution, Jeanne refuses to recant her story. “I’m not a heretic. I’m a good Christian,” she says. “Even if you behead me and smash my limbs, I swear I shall not renounce a word I said.”
Bruno Dumont (“Camille Claudel 1915”) directed “Joan of Arc.” He and Prudhomme previously collaborated on another Joan of Arc story, “Jeanette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc.” The musical about Jeanne’s early years premiered at Cannes’ Directors Fortnight in 2017.
