CHANEL renews its commitment to international cinema with “CHANEL AND CINEMA – TOKYO LIGHTS”, a mentoring programme launched in 2024 in collaboration with Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda to support a new generation of filmmakers.
The project began in November 2024 with a masterclass led by Koreeda, alongside CHANEL ambassadors and actresses Tilda Swinton and Sakura Ando, director Miwa Nishikawa, and actor Koji Yakusho. The event offered young participants a valuable opportunity for dialogue and learning, providing them with new creative and professional tools.
At the end of the programme, the emerging talents were invited to take part in a short film competition. The projects by Rin Shuto, Sakura Tanaka and Aoi Furukawa were selected.
Following their public premiere at the CHANEL Nexus Hall in Tokyo last April, the three short films were screened on 8 July at Le Saint-Germain-des-Prés cinema in Paris, recently reopened with the support of the House.
The evening began with a conversation between Hirokazu Koreeda and the competition winners, followed by the screening and a reception dedicated to dialogue and exchange around filmmaking.
The Reopening of Le Saint-Germain-des-Prés Cinema
Located in the heart of Paris’ Left Bank, Le Saint-Germain-des-Prés cinema is one of the symbolic venues of the French New Wave. The historic theatre reopened following a renovation supported by CHANEL and now hosts classic films, independent productions, previews, and conversations with directors and leading figures from the industry.
The collaboration reflects the House’s commitment to protecting artistic freedom, promoting film culture, and preserving the collective experience of watching cinema on the big screen.
CHANEL and Cinema: A Connection Spanning More Than a Century
CHANEL’s relationship with the seventh art is rooted in the story of Gabrielle Chanel, who understood from the beginning the profound affinities between fashion and cinema: movement, modernity, audacity, and the ability to transform dreams into images.
In 1931, the couturière travelled to Hollywood at the invitation of producer Samuel Goldwyn, dressing actresses including Gloria Swanson. A friend and supporter of directors such as Jean Cocteau, Luchino Visconti, Louis Malle and Alain Resnais, Chanel also dressed some of the most emblematic actresses of the French New Wave, including Jeanne Moreau, Romy Schneider and Delphine Seyrig.
Today, the House continues this legacy through costume design, production support, film premieres, and the restoration of cinematic masterpieces.
CHANEL also continues to collaborate with actresses such as Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, Tilda Swinton, Margaret Qualley, Ayo Edebiri and Lily-Rose Depp, as well as filmmakers including Michel Gondry, Alfonso Cuarón and Sofia Coppola.
With “Tokyo Lights”, the House once again presents cinema as a space for research, knowledge-sharing, and creative freedom, supporting emerging talents while fully respecting their individual artistic identities.
