Before Laetitia Casta (b. 1978) became an established international screen actress and, among others, portrayed two legendary French screen stars, Arletty (“Arletty: une passion coupable,” 2015) and Brigitte Bardot (“Gainsbourg: vie héroïque,” 2010), she had already come a long way as a highly successful model. She was a GUESS? Girl in 1993, and later became a Victoria’s Secret Angel and a spokeswoman for L’Oréal. She appeared on more than one hundred covers of popular magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Vogue and Elle, worked with various designers including Tommy Hilfiger, Louis Vitton and Yves Saint Laurent, and has been involved in several humanitarian causes over the years.

The César-nominated actress was this year’s invitee at the Festival Internationale du Film Francophone in Namur, Belgium, as their Coup de Coeur—an event to pay tribute each year to an iconic screen personality from the French-language film industry. Previous honorees include Sandrine Bonnaire, Emmanuelle Béart, Kristin Scott Thomas, Isabelle Huppert, Audrey Tautou, Vanessa Paradis, and last year’s Lambert Wilson. Watch here the FIFF introduction of Ms. Casta’s Coup de Coeur.

Although she appears mostly in French films in a wide range of genres, from drama to comedy, she also works abroad and appeared in films like “Arbritage” (2012) with Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon, and “Una donna per amica” (a.k.a. “A Woman as a Friend,” 2014). Occasionally she also appears on the stage, as she points out on her own website.

Her latest feature, “Le milieu de l’horizon” (a.k.a. “Beyond the Horizon”), was also screened at the Festival. This award-winning film at the latest San Sebastián International Film Festival is set on a farm in Europe during the 1976 heatwave and consecutive drought.

A FIFF press conference with Ms. Casta was scheduled at the Théâtre de Namur. You can find the French-language audio of the entire press conference here, which focused on “Le milieu de l’horizon,” her ability to combine different careers as a model and an actress very successfully, her passion for photography and theater, and her upcoming TV series for Arte, “Une île,” which will air next January. And at one point, when a question was asked in Italian, the multilingual actress consequently switched easily from French to Italian. Voilà!

Festival du Film Francophone, Namur
October 5, 2019

Le milieu de l’horizon” (2019, trailer)

FILMS

ASTÉRIX ET OBÉLIX CONTRE CÉSAR, a.k.a. ASTERIX AND OBELIX VS. CAESAR (1999) DIR Claude Zidi PROD Claude Berri SCR Claude Zidi (comic book by René Goscinny, Albert Ulderzo) CAM Tony Pierce-Roberts ED Hervé de Luze, Nicole Saunier MUS Roland Romanelli, Jean-Jacques Goldman CAST Gérard Depardieu, Roberto Benigni, Christian Clavier, Michel Galabru, Claude Piéplu, Daniel Prévost, Pierre Palmade, Laetitia Casta (Falbala), Arielle Dombasle

GITANO, a.k.a. GYPSY (2000) DIR Manuel Palacios EXEC PROD José Manuel Lorenzo, Antonio Cardenal SCR Manuel Palacios, Arturo Pérez-Reverte (story by Arturo Pérez-Reverte) CAM Hans Burmann ED Ángel Hernández Zoido MUS Eva Gancedo CAST Joanquín Cortés, Laetitia Casta (Lucía Junco), Marta Malaustegui, Ginés García Milán, Manuel de Blas, José Manuel Lorenzo

LES ÂMES FORTES, a.k.a. SAVAGE SOULS (2001) DIR Raoul Luiz PROD Alain Majani d’Inguimbert, Dimitri de Clercq, Marc de Lassus Saint-Geniès SCR Alain Majani d’Inguimbert, Alexandre Astruc, Eric Neuhoff, Michell Hooper CAM Eric Gautier ED Valeria Sarmiento, Béatrice Clérico MUS Jorge Arriagada CAST Laetitia Casta (Thérèse), Frédéric Diefenstahl, Arielle Dombasle, John Malkovich, Charles Berling, Johan Leysen, Edith Scob, Christian Vadim

RUE DES PLAISIRS, a.k.a. LOVE STREET (2002) DIR Patrice Leconte PROD Philippe Carcassonne SCR Patrice Leconte, Serge Frydman CAM Eduardo Serra ED Joëlle Hache CAST Patrick Timsit, Laetitia Casta (Marion), Vincent Elbaz, Catherine Mouchet, Isabelle Spade, Bérangère Allaux, Patrick Floersheim, Dolores Chaplin

ERRANCE (2003) DIR Damien Odoul PROD Edgar Tenenbaum, Gérard Lacroix, Gérard Pont SCR Damien Odoul, Antoine Lacomblez CAM Pascale Granel ED Gwenola Heaulme CAST Laetitia Casta (Lou), Benoît Magimel, Mattéo Tardito, Yann Goven, Philippe Frécon, Laurence Haziza, Valérie Dashwood

LE GRAND APPARTEMENT (2006) DIR Pascal Thomas PROD Pascal Thomas, Nathalie Lafaurie SCR Pascal Thomas, Nathalie Lafaurie, François Caviglioli CAM Renan Pollès ED Catherine Dubeau MUS Reinhardt Wagner CAST Laetitia Casta (Francesca), Matthieu Amalric, Pierre Arditi, Noémie Lvovsky, Maurice Risch, Sylvie Lachat, Elisabeth Macocco

LA JEUNE FILLE ET LES LOUPS, a.k.a. THE MAIDEN AND THE WOLVES (2008) DIR Gilles Legrand PROD Frédéric Brillion SCR Gilles Legrand, Philippe Vuaillat (adaptation by Jean Cosmos) CAM Yves Angelo ED Andrea Sedlácková MUS Armand Amar CAST Laetitia Casta (Angèle), Jean-Paul Rouve, Stefano Accorsi, Miglen Mirtchev, Michel Galabru, Patrick Chesnais, Lorànt Deutsch, Didier Bénureau

NÉS EN 68, a.k.a. BORN IN 68 (2008) DIR Olivier Ducastel, Jacques Martineau PROD Philippe Martin, Lola Gans SCR Olivier Ducastel, Jacques Martineau, Guillaume Le Touze (original screenplay by Catherine Corsini) CAM Matthieu Poirot-Delpech ED Dominique Galliéni MUS Philippe Miller CAST Laetitia Casta (Catherine), Yannick Renier, Yann Trégouët, Théo Frilet, Sabrina Seyvecou, Christine Citti, Edouard Collin, Kate Moran

VISAGE, a.k.a. FACE (2009) DIR – SCR Ming liang-Tsai PROD Ming liang-Tsai, Jacques Bidou, Marianne Dumoulin, Vincent Wang CAM Pen-Jung Liao ED Jacques Comets MUS Jean-Claude Petit CAST Kang-sheng Lee, Yi-Ching Lu, Fanny Ardant, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Laetitia Casta (The Star / Salomé), Jeanne Moreau, Nathalie Baye, Mathieu Amalric

GAINSBOURG: VIE HÉROÏQUE, a.k.a. GAINSBOURG: A HEROIC LIFE (2010) DIR Joann Sfar PROD Marc Du Pontavice, Didier Lupfer SCR Joann Sfar CAM Guillaume Schiffman ED Maryline Monthieux MUS Olivier Daviaud CAST Eric Elmosnino, Lucy Gordon, Laetitia Casta (Brigitte Bardot), Doug Jones, Anna Mouglalis, Mylène Jampanoi, Sara Forestier, Kacey Mottet Klein, Claude Chabrol

THE ISLAND (2010) DIR – SCR Kamen Kalev PROD Kamen Kalev, Anguel Christanov, Fredrik Zander CAM Mikkel E. G. Nielsen, Åsa Mossberg ED Nina Boyanova, Jenny Jue MUS Jean-Paul Wall CAST Laetitia Casta (Sophie), Thure Lindhardt, Bertille Chabert, Rousy Chanev, Alejandro Jodorowsky, John Laskowski

DERRIÈRE LES MURS, a.k.a. BEHIND THE WALLS (2011) DIR Julien Lacombe, Pascal Sid PROD Alain Benguigui SCR Julien Lacombe, Pascal Sid CAM Nicolas Massart ED Richard Marizy MUS David Reyes CAST Laetitia Casta (Suzanne), Thierry Neuvic, Jacques Bonnaffé, Roger Dumas, Anne Benoît, Anne Loiret, Emma Nunicci

LA NOUVELLE GUERRE DES BOUTONS, a.k.a. WAR OF THE BUTTONS (2011) DIR Christophe Barratier PROD Thomas Langmann SCR Thomas Langmann, Christophe Barratier, Stéphane Keller (adaptation by Christophe Barratier, Stéphane Keller, Philippe Lopes-Churval; novel by Louis Pergaud) CAM Jean Poisson ED Yves Deschamps, Anne-Sophie Bion MUS Philippe Rombi CAST Laetitia Casta (Simone), Guillaume Canet, Kad Merad, Gérard Jugnot, Jean Texier, Ilona Bachelier, Clément Godefroy

ARBITRAGE (2012) DIR – SCR Nicholas Jarecki PROD Laura Bickford, Kevin Turen, Robert Salerno, Justin Nappi CAM Yorick Le Saux ED Douglas Crise MUS Cliff Martinez CAST Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Tim Roth, Brit Marling, Laetitia Casta (Julie Côte), Nate Parker, Stuart Margolin, Chris Eigeman, Graydon Carter

DO NOT DISTURB (2012) DIR Yvan Attal PROD Mikaël Abecassis SCR Yvan Attal, Olivier Lécot (based on the film written by Lynn Shelton) CAM Thomas Hardmeier ED Jennifer Augé CAST François Cluzet, Yvan Attal, Laetitia Casta (Anna Azuelos), Charlotte Gainsbourg, Asia Argento, Joey Starr

UNE HISTOIRE D’AMOUR, a.k.a. TIED (2013) DIR Hélène Fillières PROD Matthieu Tharot, Jani Thiltges SCR Hélène Fillières (novel by Régis Jauffret) CAM Christophe Beaucarne ED Philippe Bourgueil MUS Étienne Daho CAST Benoît Poelvoorde, Laetitia Casta (The Young Woman), Richard Bohringer, Reda Kateb, Hervé Sogne, Jean-François Stévenin

UNA DONNA PER AMICA, a.k.a. A WOMAN AS A FRIEND (2014) DIR Giovanni Veronesi PROD Domenico Leurini SCR Giovanni Veronesi, Ugo Chiti (story by Giovanni Veronesi) CAM Arnaldo Catinari ED Giogiò Franchini CAST Fabio De Luigi, Laetitia Casta (Claudia), Valentina Lodovini, Valeria Solarino, Monica Scattini, Geppi Cucciari

SOUS LES JUPES DES FILLES, a.k.a. VERY BAD GIRLS and FRENCH WOMEN (2014) DIR Audrey Dana PROD Olivier Delbosc, Marc Missonier SCR Audrey Dana, Murielle Magellan, Raphaëlle Desplechin CAM Giovanni Fiore Coltellacci ED Ismael Gomez III, Julien Leloup MUS Imany CAST Isabelle Adjani, Alice Belaïdi, Laetitia Casta (Agathe), Audrey Dana, Julie Ferrier, Audrey Fleurot, Marina Hands, Géraldine Nakache, Vanessa Paradis, Alice Taglioni, Sylvie Testud

DES LENDEMAINS QUI CHANTENT (2014) DIR Nicolas Castro PROD Antoine Rein, Caroline Adrian, Fabrice Goldstein SCR Nicolas Castro, Florence Levard CAM Pierre Aïm ED Antoine Vareille MUS Jeanne Cherhal CAST Pio Marmai, Laetitia Casta (Noémie Archambault), Ramzy, Gaspard Proust, André Dussollier, Louis-Do de Lencquesaing

DES APACHES, a.k.a. THE APACHES (2015) DIR Nassim Amaouche PROD Alexandra Henochsberg SCR Nassim Amaouche, Guillaume Bréaud CAM Céline Bozon ED Julien Lacheray CAST Nassim Amaouche, Laetitia Casta (Jeanne), André Dussollier, Djemel Barek, Alexis Clergeon, Kamel Labroudi

L’HOMME FIDÈLE, a.k.a. A FAITHFUL MAN (2018) DIR Louis Garrel PROD Pascal Caucheteux, Grégoire Sorlat SCR Louis Garrel, Jean-Claude Carrière CAM Irina Lubtchansky ED Joëlle Hache CAST Louis Garrel, Laetitia Casta (Marianne), Lily-Rose Depp, Joseph Engel, Diane Courseille, Vladislav Galard, Bakary Sangaré

L’INCROYABLE HISTOIRE DU FACTEUR CHEVAL, a.k.a. THE IDEAL PALACE (2018) DIR Nils Tavernier PROD Alexandra Fechner, Franck Priem SCR Nils Tavernier, Laurent Bertoni, Fanny Desmares CAM Vincent Gallot ED Marion Monestier MUS Pierre Colleu, Baptiste Colleu CAST Jacques Gamblin, Laetitia Casta (Philomène Cheval), Florence Thomassin, Bernard Le Coq, Natacha Lindinger, Zelie Rixhon, Eric Savin

LE MILIEU DE L’HORIZON, a.k.a. BEYOND THE HORIZON (2019) DIR Delphine Lehericey PROD Elodie Brunner, Thierry Spicher, Elena Tatti SCR Delphine Lehericey, Joanne Giger (book by Roland Buti) CAM Christophe Beaucarne ED Emilie Morier MUS Nicolas Rabaeus CAST Laetitia Casta (Nicole), Luc Bruchez, Thibault Evrard, Clémence Poésy, Patrick Deschamps, Lisa Harder, Guillaume Lemarre

TV MOVIES

LUISA SANFELICE (2004) DIR Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani PROD Nicolas Traube, Riccardo Tozzi SCR (adaptation by Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani; novel by Alexandre Dumas) CAM Franco Di Giacomo ED Roberto Perpignani MUS Nicola Piovani CAST Laetitia Casta (Luisa Sanfelice), Adriano Giannini, Cecilia Roth, Marie Bäumer, Emilio Solfrizzi, Lello Arena

ARLETTY, UNE PASSION COUPABLE, a.k.a. ARLETTY A GUILTY PASSION (2015) DIR Arnaud Sélignac PROD Jean-François Lepetit, Sylvette Frydman SCR Yves Riou, Philippe Pouchain (adaptation by Arnaud Sélignac, Jean-Luc Seigle) CAM Éric Guichard ED Françoise Roux MUS Fabrice Aboulker CAST Laetitia Casta (Arletty), Ken Duken, Marie-Josée Croze, Joséphine Drai, Marc Citti, Natalia Dontcheva, Marc Arnaud, Dominique Bastien