PARIS — Ami Paris founder and creative director Alexandre Mattiussi has signed on to partner with Cannes Critics’ Week, with the brand joining as the main sponsor of its top prize.
The sidebar devoted to discovering new talent will now award the Ami Paris Grand Prize to its winning film, beginning with this year’s 64th edition.
“I’m very respectful and grateful about what Critics’ Week represents. It’s a very special prize, because it gives a great professional point of view on movies,” Mattiussi said.
The section only selects director’s first or second films, and a prize here can be a career game-changer for a young filmmaker.
“Each year, Critics’ Week supports emerging filmmakers from around the world and celebrates their brilliant debuts. Sharing this same passion for discovering and supporting new talent with Ami Paris and Alexandre Mattiussi is particularly exciting,” said Critics’ Week executive director Ava Cahen.
The Critics’ Week is a sidebar to the official selection. It presents seven feature films and 10 short films in competition, which are eligible for what is now called the Ami Paris Grand Prize, as well as the SACD Prize for best screenplay, among others. First feature films in this section are also eligible for the cross-selection Camera d’Or, which is awarded by a special jury.
Collaborating with Critics’ Week was “an obvious choice for the maison,” Mattiussi said.
“It can really be the beginning of a career. It is really to support the young directors, movies and all the young talents to make that dream possible,” Mattiussi said of the award. “It’s a beautiful partnership to support the young directors. So I love being part of this.”
Speaking to WWD, Mattiussii framed the tie-up as a “long-term partnership” without specific parameters but indicated it will be ongoing support.
“It’s not just one year,” he said. “It’s going to be something that lasts a long time. It’s not contractual. It’s the very beginning of a beautiful collaboration. I’m really happy to add this to the Ami story.”
The brand will host a dinner for filmmakers during the Critics’ Week to “celebrate cinema,” he said.
“We will be there as a supporter and a sponsor of the Critics’ Week, but it’s not about us. It’s about the Critics’ Week and the movies.”
Ami Paris will also open its doors to a red-carpet dressing suite at the Majestic hotel.
Mattiussi has already had a winning streak on the Cannes red carpet, dressing Viola Davis, Diane Kruger, Melanie Laurent, Catherine Deneuve and Omar Sy, among others over the last four years.
Viola Davis in Ami Paris on the Cannes red carpet.
Getty Images
The Critics’ Week sponsorship came about through a mutual love of cinema, he said, as the designer has been dipping his toes into the production pool in recent years.
He coproduced Bertrand Bonello’s “The Beast,” starring Léa Seydoux in 2023, and Céline Sallette’s “Niki,” starring Charlotte Le Bon last year. The latter film was in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section.
This year he is on board “Enzo,” the most recent film from Cannes Grand Prize winner Robin Campillo. The director helmed “120 BPM (Beats Per Minute),” which won at the film festival in 2017, and went on to win a handful of César awards as well.
Mattiussi coproduced “Enzo” alongside Marie-Ange Luciani, and the film is tipped for a berth in the official selection.
He was also the star of the documentary “Alexandre Mattiussi, Ami, Naissance d’une collection,” directed by French filmmaker Dominique Miceli last June.
However, Mattiussi said he has no plans to launch an official production arm of the company.
“I don’t want to be a brand producing cinema, because I don’t want to serve my interest as a fashion designer, because I think it’s not the right place to do it,” he added. “I just try to focus on my job, which is being a designer and making things beautiful for the brand, for the house. At the same time, if you can help as a humble and very supportive [partner] producing and helping people to make [a film] possible, it’s fantastic.”
Mattiussi recently returned from South Korea, where he made a short film with “Parasite” star and friend of the house Choi Woo Shik to launch a capsule collection for the Korean market.
That brings the biggest question for the designer, who often creates intricate scenarios and grand sets for his fashion shows: will he step behind the camera?
“One of my dreams is to direct my proper story, like a film that I’ve actually [been] writing since years and maybe I will be one day ready for it,” he said. “I learned a lot with all these people. I’m listening, I’m watching, and maybe one day when I will feel ready to do it, I will do it, but no pressure.”
The 2025 Critics’ Week will take place from May 14 to 21, at the Espace Miramar in Cannes.
The jury and selection of films is expected to be announced mid-April.
