Sylvia Sanchez-Atayde and Yui Suzuki
Filipino actress and producer Sylvia Sanchez-Atayde graced the red carpet of the 2025 Cannes film festival as one of the producers of the acclaimed film, “Renoir.”
Wearing a dark Filipiniana ensemble with its butterfly sleeves, Sanchez joined the red carpet along with the cast and fellow producers of “Renoir,” a coming-of-age film that made its debut at Cannes. She was accompanied by her husband Art Atayde, as seen on Instagram.
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“Renoir” is co-produced by Happinet Phantom Studios (Japan), Ici et La Productions (France), Kawan Kawan Media (Indonesia), Akanga Film Asia (Singapore), Daluyong Studios (Philippines), and Nathan Studios, the film outfit owned by Sanchez’s family.
Set in Tokyo in the 1980s, the film tells the story of an 11-year-old Fuki Okita, played by Japanese actress Yui Suzuki. Fuki braves life’s challenges in school, family, and other grown-up matters. The film also stars Lily Franky, Hikari Ishida, and Yuumi Kawai, among others. It is produced by acclaimed director Chie Hayakawa.
The red carpet appearance of the cast and producers of “Renoir” at the Cannes Film Festival. Image from Sylvia Sanches’s Instagram.
From left: Art Atayde, wife Nathan Studios producer Sylvia Sanchez-Atayde, Yui Suzuki, Filipino film producer Alem Berg of Daluyong Studios, Lily Frankly, Hikari Oshida, Japanese co-producer Eiko Mizuno Gray of Loaded film.
The film had its world premiere on Saturday, May 17 as part of the Main Competition category of the 78th edition of Cannes.
Sanchez also took to her Instagram account on Sunday, May 18, to express her gratitude for “Renoir” being considered in the international film festival, saying it was a fruit of the team’s “hard work and quiet perseverance.”
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“All the hard work, quiet perseverance, and countless sacrifices… they all led to this moment. After three years of coming back and forth to Cannes as a producer, finally, one of the films co-produced by Nathan Studios has been selected as part of the 2025 Cannes Main Competition slate,” she wrote.
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The actress added that she feels “overwhelmed” by the film’s milestone in her post.
“We walked the red carpet here in Cannes… humbled, overwhelmed, and deeply thankful that our film was chosen to be part of the Main Competition,” she said.
She also said that international collaboration gives a lot of hope to the Philippine film industry to enter the world market, as Nathan Studios was able to do for the past three years.
“This international collaboration creates a massive positive impact to the Filipino film industry, it also gives a lot of hope to Filipino film producers to go to the global market especially here in Cannes,” Sanchez said.
“This has a big impact on the Filipino entertainment industry. The mere fact that we’ve been doing this for three years since we have put up our studio, we’ve been going to Cannes. Nathan Studios is one of the outfits that have formed partnerships with international productions and attended the Cannes red carpet,” she further said. “I am hoping for more Filipino film producers to enter the global stage whether it is solo or collaboration with other foreign producers.”
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Two of Nathan Studio’s movies — psychological thriller Cattleya Killer in 2022, and action flick Topakk in 2023 — also premiered in the Cannes Film Festivals. Both movies starred Sanchez’s son, Arjo Atayde, who is also the reelected congressman of Quezon City first district. Both movies since gained the attention of international film buyers, film aficionados, and distributors.
The main competition category of the France-based film festival is among those that will be considered for the prestigious Palme d’Or plum.
Competing against “Renoir” are “Alpha,” “Case 137,” “Die, My Love,” “Eagles of the Republic,” “Eddington,” “Fuori,” “The History of Sound,” “It Was Just An Accident,” “The Little Sister,” “The Mastermind,” “Nouvelle Vague,” “The Phoenician Scheme,” “Resurrection,” “Romeria,” “The Secret Agent,” “Sentimental Value,” “Sirat,” “Sound of Falling,” “Two Prosecutors,” “Woman and Child,” and “The Young Mother’s Home.” /edv
