European Day of Artistic Cinema 2026: The Big Blue (director's version)

The film presented as part of the European Day of Artistic Cinema 2026.

The story of two divers, Enzo Molinari (Jean Reno) and Jacques Mayol (Jean-Marc Barr), and his girlfriend Johana Baker (Rosanna Arquette) is a journey into the depths of the sea — and into the depths of the human soul. Shot on several continents, Besson's play contains perhaps the most beautiful underwater scenes in the history of cinema. The seductive, sensual tale begins in the 1950s and flows into modern times in a changing current: from the tension and risk of diving without a cylinder to the delight of the sublime underwater world.

The Big Blue, based on the biographies of the true pioneers of freediving, is suspended between the blue abyss and the sun-scorched surface on which ordinary human affairs take place. Mayol, the main character of the film, wants to escape from the ordinary: he is half-human, half-dolphin, who feels best in the sea in the company of animals.

A film created to be seen on the big screen: accompanied by the unforgettable, innovative music of Eric Serra, a regular collaborator of Besson.