The Latest Breaking News from Agnès Poirier

Cannes is a beautiful, gruelling circus. I wouldn’t quit it for anything

The festival is a celebration of cinema and a frantic trade show all at once. After 25 years, I can’t help but go back, says critic Agnès Poirier

The Guardian - UK · May 13

The Epstein scandal has punctured all the age-old myths about the French elite

Suddenly, venerable figures presumed immune to sordid compromise have been exposed – although some have shown that moral courage is possible, says political commentator Agnès Poirier

The Guardian - UK · Feb 12

The Louvre is the pride of France – and it’s on the verge of collapse. Can we rescue it in time?

From a jewel heist to crumbling galleries, it’s been a dire year for the world’s most visited museum. At least France has woken up to its predicament, says political commentator Agnès Poirier

The Guardian - UK · Dec 30, 2025

Vive le Roi! France has welcomed King Charles as though Brexit never happened

The warm state visit should remind both nations of the closeness they once shared – and could do again, says Agnès Poirier, a political commentator, writer and critic

The Guardian - UK · Sep 22, 2023

How is Queen Elizabeth’s death – and Britain – now seen from abroad? Our panel reports

The world is watching as the country comes to terms with the end of an era and the start of an uncertain future

The Guardian - UK · Sep 15, 2022

Gérard Depardieu profile: he’s ‘the best and worst of France’

He once downed 14 bottles of wine and counted Putin as a pal. With his new film out, what are we – and the French – to make of him?

The Guardian - UK · Jul 17, 2022

Political, provocative and preposterous: why Cannes is a ‘cathedral of cinema’

The French cultural institution, which turns 75 this year, has always been a battle between radicalism and elitism – but that’s what makes it so essential

The Guardian - UK · May 16, 2022