‘Queens of Drama’ Cannes First Look: French Queer Pop Musical Unleashes at Critics’ Week

Cannes Critics’ Week, now in its 63rd year, is always an opportunity to explore uncharted work from new and emerging filmmakers — and away from the glitter and glitz of the Croisette, where the main competition bows. Recent Critics’ Week Grand Prize winners have included everything from “Tiger Stripes,” a Malaysian coming-of-age debut opening in stateside theaters later this month, to 2019’s honoree “I Lost My Body,” the animated favorite that went on to be nominated for an Oscar.

Coming up in the Special Screenings category of Critics’ Week, Alexis Langlois makes their feature directorial debut with “Queens of Drama,” a French pop/punk musical that brings a mid-aughts camp sensibility to Cannes this year. Below, IndieWire shares an exclusive clip for the film along with a first-look image. “Queens of Drama” premieres at Critics’ Week on Saturday, May 18, with Charades handling sales.

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Per the synopsis, in 2005, Mimi Madamour, the young pop idol, lives through a cursed and fiery romance with queer punk icon Billie Kohler. Amongst love, hatred, and torn desires for the spotlight, their pursuit of glory and their passion for each other lead them down a path of self-destruction. They are the symbol of an entire generation, a duo that unleashes crowds, they are the Queens of Drama.

Langlois wrote the film with Carlotta Coco and Thomas Colineau. The cast includes Louiza Aura, Gio Ventura, Bilal Hassani, Asia Argento, and Alma Jodorowsky.

Langlois’ previous shorts, including “The Demons of Dorothy” and “Terror, Sisters!,” have played festivals globally. According to MUBI in a recent retrospective of Langlois’ work, “Alexis Langlois makes films that are angry and alive, and insist you stand up and take notice. Reminiscent of the bold visual style and queer anarchy of filmmakers like Gregg Araki, Bertrand Mandico, video artist Ryan Trecartin, and ‘Filth Elder’ John Waters, Langlois’s defiantly anarchic, politically militant shorts celebrate the jubilant creativity of LGBTQ+ communities. [Their] films may focus on telling minority stories but they revel in the universality of popular culture, a shared language that Langlois is ultimately intent on queering.”

Here’s a clip from “Queens of Drama,” exclusively on IndieWire, below.

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