JUPITER

US Premiere | France | 2026 | Political Thriller, War | 87 min | In French with English subtitles

Directed by: Alexandre Smia
Written by: Alexandre Smia, Thomas Finkielkraut
Produced by: Nicolas Dumont & Hugo Sélignac (Chi-Fou-Mi Productions), France 2 Cinema
Cinematography: Nicolas Loir
Original Score: Olivier Marguerit
Film Editing: Pierre Deschamps
Cast: Denis Ménochet (President Paul Archambault), André Dussollier (Chief of the Defense staff), Reda Kateb (Minister of Defense), Ella Rumpf (Diplomatic Advisor), Dominique Blanc (Minister of Foreign Affairs), Céline Sallette (Prime Minister), Frédéric Pierrot (military officer in charge of the bunker), Cédric Kahn (DGSE Chief), Clotilde Courau (the President’s wife)
International Sales: SND Groupe M6

Synopsis

Still grieving his daughter’s sudden death, newly-elected French president Paul Archambault is quickly thrust into a nuclear crisis. A dubious assassination attempt has been made on the Russian president, who is blaming Ukraine and itching to retaliate. Archambault and his advisors are rushed to the Jupiter Command Post, a fail-safe bunker under the Élysée Palace, to strategize. Escalation or appeasement, that is the question. Geopolitical tensions soar, reminding us that France is the sole nuclear power in the European Union, and if push comes to shove, the fate of all humanity could very well be in her hands.

Director’s bio

First-time director Alexandre Smia cut his teeth writing for television. He has written three episodes of the hit series The Bureau (2018), and all six episodes of A French Case (2021). He collaborated on the screenplay for the TV movie If You See My Mother (2019), and co-wrote the screenplay for Martin Bourboulon’s feature 13 Days, 13 Nights (TAFFF 2025). Smia wrote and directed his first short, Jeu d’esprit, in 2006, and a second, La dernière nuit, in 2018. Jupiter, his feature directorial debut, premiered Out of Competition at this year’s Venice Film Festival.