Monica Bellucci © Tiziana Fabi / AFP

On the invitation of the Festival de Cannes, the Italian actress Monica Bellucci has agreed to play the role of Mistress of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 70th Festival de Cannes to be held from 17 to 28 May 2017, under the presidency of Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar.

Monica Bellucci's friendship with the Festival de Cannes goes back a long way: in 2000, she walked up the steps for the first time to present Under Suspicion by Stephen Hopkins. She returned two years later with Gaspar Noé's steamy Irréversible which enthralled the Croisette with its unforgettable polemic.

Monica Bellucci was a member of the Jury in 2006 under the presidency of Wong Kar-wai. In the following years, Bellucci returned to Cannes for the Official Selection with Marco Tullio Giordana's Wild Blood, and Don't Look Back by Marina de Van. In 2014, she was back on the Croisette to present The Wonders by Italian director Alice Rohrwacher, which picked up the Jury Grand Prix.

Bellucci's film career demonstrates her ease across a range of genres with outstanding performances in both comedy and drama, based on eclectic and daring artistic choices. She has filmed for a number of prestigious directors includng Bertrand Blier, Danièle Thompson, Francis Ford Coppola, Terry Gilliam, Mel Gibson, Sam Mendes, and Spike Lee.

Recently cast in Season 3 of David Lynch's Twin Peaks, Bellucci also appears in Emir Kusturica's latest feature film On the Milky Road, to be released in France on 12 July.

She takes over the MC role from French actor and comedian Laurent Lafitte, who hosted the Ceremonies of the 69th Festival, following on from Lambert Wilson and Audrey Tautou.

The Ceremonies will be produced and broadcast live, exclusively on Canal+.