Marrakesh – Moroccan novelist Leila Slimani, historian Patrick Boucheron, and screenwriter Fanny Herrero, known for the French series “Dix pour cent,” have lent their creative genius to the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony.
This spectacle promises to be the “contrary of a heroized story,” cleverly subverting clichés with “humor.”
In an interview with Le Monde on Tuesday, Slimani and Boucheron shared how they envisioned the show within artistic director Thomas Jolly’s team.
The production also features contributions from playwright and actor Damien Gabriac.
“I had the concept of an immense spectacle, but I lacked a narrative to address the world,” explained Thomas Jolly, who described having the “ideal team” with these four authors.
On July 26, the ceremony will break conventions, taking place not in a stadium, but on the Seine River and amidst Paris’s iconic landmarks.
Along the riverbanks and bridges, 3,000 dancers and actors will present 12 artistic scenes, while national delegations will parade aboard boats.
Boucheron said he drew inspiration from “the ceremony imagined by Jean-Paul Goude for the bicentennial of the French Revolution in 1989,” a landmark event in live performance history.
“The parade subverted national stereotypes and boldly advocated for global mixing with an optimism that we seem to have lost today,” he stated.
According to him, Paris 2024 will be the opposite of the ceremony at the 2008 Beijing Games, which was “an ode to greatness and a display of strength.”
The opening of the Olympics must “speak to the world about France and speak to France about the world,” aiming to be “the opposite of a virile, heroized tale,” centered around France as a “promise of freedom.”
Slimani describes it as “a very generous narrative,” filled with “joy, emulation, movement, excitement, and sparkle,” not just the famous philosophical values that France often proudly exhibits, sometimes with too much assurance.”
The preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony promise a departure from traditional narratives, embracing diversity, joy, and a dynamic spirit.
