The documentary series dedicated to Michel Platini, which is set to premiere on Canal+ soon, will be unveiled in advance at Canneseries. Two of the six episodes of Platini will be showcased during the festival. The former number 10 of the French national team is expected at Cannes. Triple Ballon d’Or, master of the game. Scorer, passer, captain, president… Michel Platini tells his story for the first time in a six-episode documentary series. From Joeuf to Saint-Étienne and Turin, from the French national team winning the Euro in 1984 to the FIFA succession war: a French epic with global influence.
He will not be the only high-level athlete present. Florent Manaudou will also present his documentary series “I Don’t Like Swimming,” which will be broadcast on HBO Max.
With one year to go until the Paris 2024 Olympics, Florent Manaudou, one of the greatest figures in French swimming and flag bearer of the French delegation, has given carte blanche to a group of young directors. Their mission: to follow him everywhere, unfiltered, throughout his preparation. The only rule set by the champion: they can show everything, on the condition that he brings back a medal…which he will do on August 2, 2024 in the 50m freestyle.
However, things did not go as planned. Between nights out, excesses, wayward training sessions, and the immense pressure of the approaching Games, the camera captures everything: the doubts, the contradictions, the moments of total relaxation, and the slightly chaotic quest of an athlete seeking performance, freedom, and meaning in it all.
With an irreverent, candid, and completely offbeat tone, the documentary series (4 episodes of 45 minutes) “I Don’t Like Swimming” immerses us into the world of a champion facing himself: raw, intimate, and never seen before.
Another highlight of the festival: the documentary “Vendée Globe, Alone Around the World” will be premiered worldwide. Expected on France Télévisions, this six-episode documentary follows six skippers in the most extreme sailing race, 45,000 km solo, without stopovers or assistance. Between storms, damages, loneliness, and intense joy, this series focuses on following the competition, the loved ones left on land, and the race direction, which watches over the sailors night and day.
Finally, “Cruyff or the Birth of a Genius,” directed by the British filmmaker Sam Blair (who previously directed “Maradona’86” in 2014), will compete in the Documentary Series category. This four-episode series of forty-five minutes traces the career of the Dutch midfielder Johan Cruyff (3-time Ballon d’Or winner, elected best player of the century in Europe in 1999) and later revolutionary coach of FC Barcelona (1988-1996), featuring the perspectives of Pep Guardiola, one of his most faithful heirs on the field and in game conception. For the first time, his victories, conflicts, and unknown struggles are revealed to the public.
Pierre Sokol
