An acclaimed premiere of the film "Les Gardiennes de la Planète In the presence of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, Jean Dujardin and the film crew

On Thursday 9th February, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and Bien Sur productions organised the premiere of the film "Les Gardiennes de la Planète", in the presence of Oscar-winning actor Jean Dujardin, director Jean-Albert Lièvre, and producers Julien Seul and Marc Dujardin. HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco attended the screening, surrounded by Mr and Mrs Pierre Casiraghi, Mr Andrea Casiraghi and Mrs Charlotte Casiraghi-Rassam.

The film "Les Gardiennes de la Planète" adopts an original point of view: that of the whale.

The whale tells its own story thanks to a voice-over. Visually, this approach produces a surprising sensory experience where you sometimes have the impression of being in the skin of one of them. Director Jean-Albert Lièvre says:

"I wanted the audience to realise that we are not the only intelligent society on this earth, we share it with other societies [...] Whales have experience of the oceans, of the deep sea, they know currents that we don't know, they play an essential role in saving the oceans, for the climate, for us. We are all interconnected."

For this film, imagined as an "oceanic and cosmic odyssey", it was necessary to get as close as possible to the whales, and to do this the director paid particular attention to preserving their tranquillity by minimising the impact of filming on the environment.

Actor Jean Dujardin, who lent his voice to the film, tells us how this collaborative project came about:

"I was moved by Jean-Albert's work, by these two and a half years of hunting for images, of encounters with quite astonishing mammals, totally extraterrestrial."
On the subject of the narrative exercise, he says: "There was no question of me taking up too much space. It's a gentle balance between silences, fullness and emptiness, music, original sounds. It's quite an interesting exercise. Sometimes adding a little smile, sometimes adding a little gravity, without it being severe". He adds: "The editing is very clever, quite singular and modern. The choice of music too, hip-hop, jazz, rock. Evoking the song of each whale according to the type of music is great."

Producer Julien Seul shares this feeling:

"We are in the emotion, and it heightens awareness of things. Without giving lessons."

As does Jean-Albert Lièvre, who adds:

"I prefer to try to educate through wonder, through beauty."

An approach that echoes the actions of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, as Olivier Wenden, Vice-President and CEO, points out:

"It seems essential to us, as a complement to scientific work, and on the basis of it, to encourage new forms of commitment through stories that rely on the vector of emotions to better convey the environmental message and anchor it in the public's heart."

An "immersive show" that introduces us to the extraordinary story of cetaceans, citizens of the world's oceans, essential to our planet's ecosystem for over 50 million years.

A film that invites us to "slow down, to allow ourselves to do so", concludes Jean Dujardin.

Screenings were also organised for the Principality's pupils on Friday 10th February. In the morning, the director Jean-Albert Lièvre shared his passion for this unique species with pupils in the fourth and fifth grades, answering their many questions. In the afternoon, Philippe Mondielli, Scientific Director of the Foundation, held a post-screening talk with 6th and 7th grade classes. This was an opportunity to remind the young spectators that the Pelagos Sanctuary off the coast of the Principality is also home to many marine mammals, including various species of whales. A rich marine biodiversity that we must preserve.

Les Gardiennes de la Planète will be released in cinemas on 22 February.

Full press kit attached.