the 4th « NOUVELLES VAGUES » Biarritz Film FestivaL

CHANEL, Grand Partner of the Biarritz Film Festival – NOUVELLES VAGUES

British actress and model Kristen Stewart wears Chanel. All images Copyright CHANEL.

By Nermin A., Editor

Biarritz, France – Biarritz is sizzling hot and not just because of the record temperatures this week in the French resort on the Atlantic ocean. Ever committed to cinematic creation and building on its long-standing ties with Biarritz, the House of CHANEL is back in town–after the recent historic fashion show staged in the seaside resort–renewing its support for the Biarritz Film Festival – NOUVELLES VAGUES for its fourth edition, taking place from 23rd to 28th June 2026.

Among the festival’s highlights, the opening ceremony will feature a screening of Goodbye Cruel World, the debut feature film by independent director Félix de Givry, produced by Remembers and Iliade et Films with the support of CHANEL. The documentary Jean Cocteau by Lisa Immordino Vreeland, also supported by CHANEL, will be screened at the closing ceremony.

At the end of the festival, the winners will receive a trophy specially designed for the event by the House of DESRUES, a CHANEL Maison d’art. The gazteria section, with its direct engagement with the audience – comprising mainly film students – will welcome two CHANEL ambassadors this year: actress Marion Cotillard (image below) on 24th June, and actress and director Kristen Stewart (image above), this year’s Jury President, on 26th June. Organised by Jérôme Pulis (Founder and President), the festival aims to tell the stories of young people and draws on their perspective through a unique programme of films that include coming-of-age stories and that explore the place of young people in society. As Grand Partner of the Biarritz Film Festival – NOUVELLES VAGUES, CHANEL is supporting the emergence of tomorrow’s voices.

CHANEL & CINEMA

This partnership builds on Gabrielle Chanel’s own connections with the world of cinema. From the very beginning, the couturier forged unbreakable bonds with this art form, which was born around the same time as her. Synonymous with modernity, cinema’s taste for movement, audacity and dreams fell perfectly in line with her fashion vocabulary. By 1931, when Gabrielle Chanel travelled to Hollywood at the behest of the American producer Samuel Goldwyn to dress Gloria Swanson and other actresses, she’d already understood how fashion would use cinema to speak to women. A friend and patron of major directors – Jean Cocteau, Luchino Visconti, Louis Malle and Alain Resnais – she also dressed the New Wave actresses Jeanne Moreau, Romy Schneider and Delphine Seyrig, both on and off screen. Ever true to this vision, CHANEL’s enduring commitment to the seventh art takes multiple forms today: designing and creating costumes, production support, accompanying film premieres and even the restoration of masterpieces to guarantee the preservation of cinematic history. The House continues its collaboration with actresses – from Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie and Tilda Swinton to the new generation of actresses including Margaret Qualley, Ayo Edebiri and Lily-Rose Depp – and leading filmmakers such as Michel Gondry, Alfonso Cuarón and Sofia Coppola. CHANEL also supports festivals, institutions and ceremonies, and is dedicated to upholding the unique nature of each project with an absolute respect for the directors’ artistic vision.

CHANEL & BIARRITZ

Biarritz plays a foundational role in the history of CHANEL. In 1915, Gabrielle Chanel opened her couture house there, establishing the codes of functional elegance and freedom, in harmony with the energy of the town. In her boutique at the Villa de Larralde, she designed innovative, understated and comfortable silhouettes that augured the CHANEL style. Biarritz became a hotbed of creativity where artists and friends of the couturier, including Stravinsky, Cocteau and Picasso, also found inspiration and freedom. Today, this story is more relevant than ever: last April, Matthieu Blazy’s first Cruise collection for CHANEL was presented in Biarritz, coinciding with the opening of a pop-up CHANEL boutique within the Villa de Larralde itself open until 27 September. By pursuing its involvement with the Biarritz Film Festival – NOUVELLES VAGUES, in the heart of the town, CHANEL keeps the bold energy that characterises its own heritage alive.
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