- 10:30
Raphaël Quenard is the artist everyone’s talking about. Best known for his work in film—especially his latest project I Love Peru, currently screening at Cannes—he’s also making waves in other creative arenas, including literature, with the release of his debut novel Clamser à Tatouine.
Raphaël Quenard wears many hats: actor, screenwriter, director, producer, and soon, singer. He broke through in 2023 with standout performances in Chien de la casse by Jean-Baptiste Durand and Yannick by Quentin Dupieux. His work in both earned him César nominations in 2024, and he took home the award for Most Promising Actor for Chien de la casse.
He’s everywhere right now—on TV screens, in interviews, walking the red carpet at Cannes, and sparking conversations after screenings. Yet despite the attention, he remains grounded: approachable, generous in interviews, humble, and endlessly curious. Whether as an artist or filmmaker, he’s eager to keep learning.
I Love Peru, co-directed with Hugo David and currently showing at Cannes, follows an offbeat actor on a wild journey. As he chases fame, he ends up pushing away those closest to him. Alone and disoriented, he’s struck by a disturbing vision—one that sends him on a spiritual quest to Peru.
Speaking on the set of Beau Geste at Cannes, Raphaël Quenard passionately describes the filmmaking experience. “It was absolutely incredible!” he says. From the behind-the-scenes process to developing the script, it was a true adventure. The film was made with “the tightest budget in French cinema,” he laughs, but fueled entirely by passion.
On TV shows like La Grande Librairie, Quenard is also celebrating the release of his debut novel, Clamser à Tatouine. This genre-bending thriller—a mix of drama, comedy, and biting cynicism—was released on May 14, 2025, by Flammarion. “With a voice as electric as it is original, he delivers a brilliantly dark and corrosive novel,” wrote the publisher on Instagram.
Raphaël Quenard doesn’t claim to be a literary heavyweight. He says he discovered literature—much like cinema—relatively late in life and still sees himself as a student. He regrets not having been introduced to it earlier but describes diving into writing with “pure joy,” driven by a desire to fill the “massive gaps” in his cultural and literary education.
He emphasizes the importance of making the most of every moment—reading more, learning more, staying hungry for knowledge. His speech is raw and unfiltered, sincere and refreshingly down-to-earth. And perhaps that’s what makes him a true artist: his search for meaning, his honesty, and his boundless curiosity.
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