Acclaimed Director Returns with New Film After 7-Year Hiatus: First Look!

After a long wait filled with anticipation, the eagerly awaited film, which created a significant buzz at the Locarno Festival (receiving unanimous praise), has finally released its trailer and officially announced its release date in France.

“Sensual, uproariously funny”… Abdellatif Kechiche’s Mektoub My Love Canto Due receives universal acclaim!

Abdellatif Kechiche’s “Mektoub My Love Canto Due” will premiere in cinemas on December 3, 2025.

Abdellatif Kechiche, a Palme d’Or winner in 2013 for “Blue is the Warmest Color,” awarded by Steven Spielberg to the director and his two actresses, Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux. He is also the winner of 6 César Awards for “Games of Love and Chance” (2005) and “The Secret of the Grain” (2008). His portfolio also includes “Mektoub My Love Canto Uno” (2018), which was selected in Venice in 2017, and the controversial “Intermezzo” at Cannes in 2019.

Since 2018, fans have been eagerly awaiting news of this sequel. The trailer highlights the sun-soaked setting of the film, which takes place in Sète in the South of France.

What is the Story of Mektoub My Love Canto Due?

Amin (Shaïn Boumedine) returns to Sète after studying in Paris, still dreaming of a career in cinema. A vacationing American producer (Andre Jacobs) stumbles upon his project, “The Essential Principles of Universal Existence,” and wants his wife, Jess (Jessica Pennington), to star as the lead. However, fate has its own set of rules.

Who are the New Characters in Canto Due?

Alongside Shaïn Boumedine, Ophélie Bau, Salim Kechiouche, Hafsia Herzi, Alexia Chardard, Dany Martial, Delinda Kechiche, and Lou Luttiau, who were main characters from Canto Uno, several new faces join the cast: Jess, an Anglo-Saxon actress famous for her role in the popular series “Embers of Passion,” played by Jessica Pennington, and an American producer, her husband, portrayed by Andre Jacobs (also cast in Kechiche’s 2010 “Black Venus”).

These two new characters play central roles in the narrative. Observant fans might recall the name Jessica mentioned in Canto Uno. These characters were referenced as celebrities frequenting the family restaurant, but were not seen.

In Canto Due, we also meet the character of Aimé, Roméo de Lacour (an actor at the center of the Intermezzo scandal). He was only glimpsed in Canto Uno.

Canto Due also reintroduces us to Marie Bernard, who appeared in Intermezzo. Below is a photo from Intermezzo, featuring, from left to right, Roméo de Lacour, Marie Bernard, and Salim Kechiouche.

The cast includes Shaïn Boumedine, Jessica Pennington, Salim Kechiouche, Andre Jacobs, Ophélie Bau, Hafsia Herzi, Dany Martial, Delinda Kechiche, Alexia Chardard, Lou Luttiau, Marie Bernard, Meleinda Elasfour, Roméo De Lacour, Kamel Saadi.

Where Does the Film Fit in Relation to Canto Uno and Intermezzo?

Canto Due is a direct sequel to Canto Uno. The storyline continues directly from the first installment, still set in Sète, beginning in September 1994. It’s worth noting that the films were shot over two periods: first in 2016 (nine months of filming), and then in 2017 (five months of filming).

However, Canto Due is distinctly different from Intermezzo, which was always presented as an interlude, and had a very different tone from Uno and Due. The attentive will note that the trailer for Canto Due refers to it as “the 7th feature film” by Abdellatif Kechiche, implying that Intermezzo is not considered in his filmography.

The film was showcased this summer at the Locarno Festival in Switzerland, in a world premiere:

To catch this sequel, be sure to visit your local theaters on December 3, 2025.