Gessica Généus's "Marie Madeleine" opens in France, carried by a Haitian soundtrack

"Marie Madeleine", the second feature film by Haitian filmmaker Gessica Généus, has been showing in French cinemas since Wednesday, 21 October 2026. The film is distributed in France by Pyramide, which is promoting its soundtrack, "where Haitian music resonates".

In an Instagram post on 16 October, the distributor invited audiences to "come and feel" the soundtrack. The video features the track "Love Isn't Easy (Gede Zaryen)" by RAM, Richard A. Morse's band.

A Jacmel sex worker and a young evangelist

Gessica Généus wrote, directed and co-produced the film, and plays the title role. In Jacmel, on Haiti's south coast, Marie Madeleine is a free woman who lives from sex work and refuses to submit to those who claim to "save souls". Her path crosses that of Joseph, a young evangelist whose faith begins to waver.

Béonard Monteau plays Joseph. The cast also includes Edouard Baptiste, Melissa Mildort, Ginou Jules, Gaëlle Bien-Aimé and Luchue Mesidor. It is produced by SaNoSi Productions, with partners in Haiti, Belgium, Luxembourg and Canada. The director describes it to the CNC, France's national film centre, as "a reflection on Haitians' relationship to morality".

In a video posted by SensCritique on release day, Gessica Généus and Béonard Monteau describe the shoot in Haiti and the warm atmosphere within the crew. "The notion of time no longer existed," the site quotes as the interview's headline.

From Cannes to cinemas, enthusiastic reviews

After "Freda" (2021), Gessica Généus presented "Marie Madeleine" in May 2026 at the Cannes Film Festival, in the Cannes Première section. The film then won the Grand Prix du jury at the Cabourg Film Festival in June.

Its release has been welcomed by the French press. AlloCiné shows an average of 3.7 out of 5 across 24 reviews. For Jacques Mandelbaum in Le Monde, the film "is a blaze that joins misery and lushness, holiness and profanation". Télérama calls it "flamboyant and moving", Les Inrockuptibles "devastating and unsparing about Haiti". Cahiers du cinéma speaks of "a great film of waking dreams and love". In Libération, Luc Chessel sees "a plea for freedom". For Franceinfo, the film "is a political firebrand and displays great artistic ambition". (Quotes translated from French.)

No release date has been publicly announced so far for Haiti, the United States or Canada.