HENNESSY X.O ANNOUNCES MULTI-SENSORIAL “LIFE IS AN ODYSSEY” CAMPAIGN WITH ACADEMY AWARD WINNER DIRECTOR DAMIEN CHAZELLE

French-American Damien Chazelle is the latest director to explore Hennessy X.O’s legendary Odyssey saga in a new powerful short film scored by Justin Hurwitz

COGNAC, France, June 26TH 2023 - Hennessy is delighted to announce the global launch of Life is the Greatest Odyssey, a poignant visual experience directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Damien Chazelle. This marks the third installment of the Maison’s Odyssey opus following successful collaborations with iconic directors Sir Ridley Scott (2019) and Nicolas Winding Refn (2016).

Inspired by the idea that Each drop of Hennessy X.O is an Odyssey, the director of Whiplash, La La Land, First Man, and Babylon contemplates how the smallest of moments can trigger a disruptive Odyssey of thoughts and memories. The film is scored by Chazelle’s long-time collaborator and Academy Award winner composer Justin Hurwitz.

Juxtaposing space and time, Damien Chazelle introduces the story of a musician who finds himself swept away by his life’s memories in a whirlwind adventure where places, people, sound, music, and emotions coalesce over the span of one sip of Hennessy X.O cognac. In his characteristic cinematic signature, the director ends the piece on a note of gratitude and hopefulness, prompting viewers to look inward and reflect on their own lives.

“The film centers around the idea that the most fleeting of emotions can trigger an odyssey wherein childhood, early adulthood, and the future overlap," said Damien Chazelle, film director, screenwriter, and producer. "With Hennessy X.O I looked into one person’s memories while leaving the audience to complete the picture.” 

Prior to shooting the film in Prague, Damien Chazelle visited Hennessy’s Cognac cellars. An inspiring prelude that encouraged the decorated director to draw clear parallels between Hennessy’s artisanal methods and the art of filmmaking.

“In his epic Odyssey, Damien Chazelle delicately infuses each element of the film with the craftsmanship and timelessness of cognac-making,” said Laurent Boillot, President and CEO at Hennessy. “A French-American storyteller with a gift for rendering larger than life emotions on the screen, Chazelle is the ideal partner to encapsulate the greatness that lies in each single drop of Hennessy X.O cognac.”

Hennessy X.O’s cinematic series explores cognac’s seven tasting notes through different directors’ styles, visually articulating the complexity of the original extra old cognac through an epic Odyssey.

Campaign Credits 

‘Life Is the Greatest Odyssey’ print and video campaign for Hennessy. 

Hennessy Maison: 

Hennessy Global CMO: Julie Nollet  

Hennessy X.O Brand Director: Emmy Aoun Gestin 

Hennessy Senior Global Marketing Manager Prestige Brands: Isabelle Seguin Boussin

Hennessy Senior Brand Manager: Caroline Schmitt

Production: SUPERPRIME & LOVEBOAT 

Director: Damien Chazelle 

Executive Producers : Rebecca Skinner & Greg Panteix 

Producers : William Green & Bertille Muguet 

DOP: Linus Sandgren 

1st AD: Michael Kahn 

Production Designer: Florencia Martin

Costume designer: Emmanuelle Youchnovksi  

Make-up: Arturo Balseiro Santos 

Photographers: Christopher Anderson & Romain Laprade  

Behind the scenes pictures and movie: Jacqueline de Gorter 

Production co: UNIT+SOFA 

Executive Producer: Filip Hedjuk 

Line Producer: Tereza Kalova 

Local Production designer: Henri Boraros  

Post Production: The Mill 

Executive Creative Director : Franck Lambertz

Head of executive : Lionel Juglair 

Post producer : Bastien Adam

Editor director’s cut: Shane Reid 

Editor: Sophie Reine 

Color grading: Matt Wallach @ Company3

Music Production: 

Music composer: Justin Hurwitz 

Sound production company: Justin Hurwitz & Barking Owl

Agency: DDB Paris  

Chief creative officer: Alexander Kalchev  

Creative directors: Alexis Benbehe & Pierre Mathonat  

Art directors: Mathieu Masse, Perrine Tixier, Charline Boisdon  

Producer & Art Buyer: Quentin Moenne-Loccoz 

Post producer: Jerôme Deplatière  

Managing director : Xavier Mendiola 

Business director: Meryl Martin  

Account director: Floriane Portaspana 

Account executive: Marie Melet & Clarisse Comte  

ABOUT DAMIEN CHAZELLE

Academy Award® winner Damien Chazelle most recently directed the Golden Globe and SAG-nominated BABYLON, starring Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, and breakout star Diego Calva. He previously directed FIRST MAN, the riveting story of NASA's mission to land a man on the moon garnered four Oscar nominations, winning Best Achievement in Visual Effects. He wrote and directed the modern musical LA LA LAND, which earned 14 Oscar nominations, winning six awards, including Best Director for Chazelle, who is the youngest director to receive the award.  The film also won a record-breaking seven Golden Globes and was also honored with five BAFTA wins and 11 nominations. His 2014 film, WHIPLASH, received five Academy Award nominations and three wins, including Best Supporting Actor for J.K. Simmons. His 2013 short, based on the WHIPLASH screenplay, won the Short Film Jury Prize at Sundance, and the following year the feature film took home both the Jury and Audience Awards from the festival. Chazelle made his first feature, GUY AND MADELINE ON A PARK BENCH, as an undergraduate student and the film premiered at Tribeca Film Festival.

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INTERNATIONAL VERSION ONLY - NOT INTENDED FOR FRANCE