ÉRIC BESNARD

JEAN VALJEAN (2026)

Starring Grégory Gadebois, Isabelle Carré, Alexandra Lamy, Bernard Campan and Loup Cousteil. Directed by Éric Besnard.

1815. Provence, France. In the peaceful village of Digne, there’s a rumour that a dangerous man has entered the area. The hulking Jean has just been released from prison after nineteen years of hard labour. Issued with identification that forever sees him branded a criminal and ostracised, Jean is not surprised to be repeatedly turned away as he seeks refuge for the night. Desperate, he unknowingly knocks at the door of the house of Monseigneur Bienvenu, who lives simply with his sister and a lone servant. Against all odds, Bienvenu invites him in for supper and offers a bed for the night. Despite Jean’s embitterment and lingering mistrust, humanity seems to stir within him, beneath his suffering.

DELICIOUS (2021)

Starring Isabelle Carré, Grégory Gadebois, Benjamin Lavernhe, Patrick Chesnais, Félix Fournier, François De Brauer, Benjamin Lhommas, Louise Rossignon, Fabien Rasplus and Nicolas Fine. Directed by Éric Besnard.

The story is set in 1789 France, where prior to the dawn of the Revolution, gastronomy remains strictly the domain of the aristocrats; indeed, the prestige of a noble house is entirely dependent on the quality and reputation of its table. So, when the talented but prideful cook Manceron serves an unapproved dish of his own creation at a dinner hosted by the self-entitled Duke of Chamfort, the repercussions are brutal, and he is promptly dismissed.

The wounded Manceron swears off his passion and retreats with his son to a regional inn visited only infrequently by travellers, and where vegetable soup is the common meal. But when a mysterious woman arrives and offers to pay to become his apprentice, the stage is set for a wildly enjoyable tale of reignited passion, mentorship and revenge... and of the creation of France’s very first restaurant.

JEAN VALJEAN (2026)

Starring Grégory Gadebois, Isabelle Carré, Alexandra Lamy, Bernard Campan and Loup Cousteil. Directed by Éric Besnard.

1815. Provence, France. In the peaceful village of Digne, there’s a rumour that a dangerous man has entered the area. The hulking Jean has just been released from prison after nineteen years of hard labour. Issued with identification that forever sees him branded a criminal and ostracised, Jean is not surprised to be repeatedly turned away as he seeks refuge for the night. Desperate, he unknowingly knocks at the door of the house of Monseigneur Bienvenu, who lives simply with his sister and a lone servant. Against all odds, Bienvenu invites him in for supper and offers a bed for the night. Despite Jean’s embitterment and lingering mistrust, humanity seems to stir within him, beneath his suffering.