La Gradiva

We follow a class trip of French high school seniors to the city of Naples. During their stay, the students visit the ruins of Pompeii, hike up Mount Vesuvius, explore the Naples National Archaeological Museum, and wander through the city and along the coast. Looming over the trip is the seemingly inevitable question of what everyone will do after graduation. The film gains a particular tension from the young people drifting apart, as vastly different life paths begin to take shape. One of the central questions in Marine Atlan's film is what the artistic traces of this bygone era—and one of its most severe tragedies—mean to high school students today as they encounter them throughout their journey. In La Gradiva, unstoppable, terrifying, yet undeniably captivating natural forces are paralleled with the similarly unstoppable internal psychological processes stirring within these youths, sweeping through them in much the same way.

Semaine de la Critique 2026 - Grand Prix AMI Paris
Melbourne International Film Festival - Bright Horizons Award
Deauville Film Festival - Prix d’Ornano-Valenti
Toronto International Film Festival 2026 - Centrepiece section
BFI London Film Festival 2026

Marine Atlan is a cinematographer, screenwriter, and director. She began her film career behind the camera, serving as director of photography for standout French films such as Jessica Forever (Jonathan Vinel and Caroline Poggi, 2018), Nos Cérémonies (Simon Rieth, 2023), Queens of Drama (Alexis Langlois, 2024), and L’Engloutie (Louise Hémon, 2025), which earned her a César Award nomination. Having previously directed short films that won awards at festivals including the Berlinale, Clermont-Ferrand, and Brive, she made her debut feature film, La Gradiva, in 2026. The film premiered in competition at the Critics' Week at Cannes, where it was awarded the Grand Prix. Marine Atlan is undoubtedly emerging as one of the most original voices in contemporary European cinema.

Les amours vertes (2016) - short film
Daniel fait face (2018)

Director: Marine Atlan
Cast: Colas Quignard, Suzanne Gerin, Mitia Capellier-Audat, Antonia Buresi
Cinematographer : Pierre Mazoyer, Marine Atlan
Screenwriter:Marine Atlan, Anne Brouillet
Producer: Inès Daïen Dasi
Editor: Guillaume Lillo
Hungarian Distributor: -
Music: -
Colour
145 minutes