The Most Precious of Cargoes (film)

The Most Precious of Cargoes (La Plus Précieuse des marchandises) is a 2024 French animated drama film, directed by Michel Hazanavicius and with a screenplay by Jean-Claude Grumberg and Hazanavicius. The film is an adaptation of Grumberg's 2019 novel of the same name.

The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where it premiered on 24 May 2024.

Plot
The story centers on a Holocaust-surviving Jewish girl whose father throws her from a moving train heading to Auschwitz and ultimately found by a woodcutter and his family.

Cast

 * Jean-Louis Trintignant as the narrator
 * Grégory Gadebois as Woodcutter
 * Denis Podalydès as The Man with the Broken Face
 * Dominique Blanc as The Wife

Production
Hazanavicius boarded the project in 2019, but the COVID-19 pandemic brought it to a halt, allowing him to shoot the 2022 zombie-comedy film Final Cut in the meantime.

Initially announced for the voice of the Woodcutter, Gérard Depardieu was finally removed from the cast, by mutual agreement between the production and the actor, following the actor's accusations of rape and sexual assault. He was replaced by Grégory Gadebois.

The film features narration from Jean-Louis Trintignant in what would ultimately be his final film role, with said narration being recorded prior to his death in 2022.

Release
The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 24 May 2024. It was also served as the opening film for the 2024 Annecy International Animation Film Festival.