Angelina Jolie in Alice Winocour's Paris 'Couture' Film Official Trailer

"It's a shout of rage, of liberation." HanWay Films debuted the first official trailer for Couture, a French film about the Paris fashion industry. This premiered at TIFF 2025 last year and other festivals and will be debuting in French cinemas this February. Though there's still no US release expected anytime soon as it didn't get many good reviews (58% on RT). Angelina Jolie stars as an American filmmaker named Maxine who arrives in Paris for Fashion Week on a life-and-death journey, facing challenges and self-discovery. The triptych story follows three women in Paris, including a young fresh face model named Ada, and a make-up artist working in the shadows of the catwalks. A "powerful & intimate journey of self-reflection & resilience set against the electric backdrop of Paris Fashion Week." Written & directed by French César nominated writer / director Alice Winocour, the film stars mega famous actress Angelina Jolie as Maxine Walker, with Louis Garrel, Anyier Anei, Ella Rumpf, Guillaume Marbeck, & Garance Marillier, also featuring Vincent Lindon. This only looks like it's worth a watch for anyone who is deeply into the fashion industry.

Here's the first international trailer (+ poster) for Alice Winocour's film Couture, direct from YouTube:

Set during the frenzy of Paris Fashion Week, three women's lives intersect within the French city: Maxine (Angelina Jolie), a filmmaker who discovers that she has breast cancer and is drawn into an unexpected connection with a familiar collaborator (Louis Garrel); plus Ada (Anyier Anei), a fresh face in modeling, escaping a predetermined future back home in South Sudan; and Angèle (Ella Rumpf), a makeup artist working in the shadows of the catwalks. As their paths cross, the film reveals the quiet resilience beneath the surface of public performance and honours the unspoken solidarity shared among these women across professions, cultures, and continents. Couture is written and directed by acclaimed French filmmaker Alice Winocour, director of the films Augustine, Disorder, Proxima, Revoir Paris, and many other short films. Produced by Charles Gillibert, William Horberg, Zhang Xin, Angelina Jolie. This initially premiered at the 2025 Toronto & San Sebastian Film Festivals last fall. HanWay Films debuts Winocour's Couture film in French cinemas starting February 18th, 2026. No US release date is set yet. Look any good?

Beyond its surface as a fashion set drama, Couture appears to focus on what happens behind the scenes and inside the people who move through that world every day. The film does not present Paris Fashion Week only as spectacle. Instead, it treats it as a pressure cooker where ambition, fear, illness, and identity collide. Maxine’s diagnosis introduces a personal crisis that contrasts sharply with the polished exterior of runways and exclusive parties. The setting becomes a mirror, reflecting the fragility that often hides beneath beauty, success, and image.

Ada’s storyline offers another emotional anchor. As a newcomer to the modeling world, her journey speaks to themes of escape and reinvention. Coming from South Sudan, she is not only navigating a demanding industry but also redefining who she can become beyond the expectations placed on her at home. Her presence adds a global dimension to the film, showing how Paris Fashion Week draws people from vastly different backgrounds into one intense space where opportunity and exploitation often sit side by side.

Angèle’s perspective completes the triptych by spotlighting those who rarely receive attention. Working quietly behind the scenes, she represents the countless professionals who shape what the audience sees but remain unseen themselves. Her story appears to ground the film, emphasizing labor, fatigue, and the emotional toll of serving a glamorous world that rarely slows down. Through Angèle, Couture seems to honor the invisible workers who hold the industry together.

Alice Winocour’s direction is known for blending intimate character studies with high pressure environments. From space missions in Proxima to the emotional aftermath of trauma in Revoir Paris, her films often place deeply human stories inside extraordinary settings. In Couture, that approach finds a natural home. Paris Fashion Week becomes more than a backdrop. It functions almost as a living organism, pushing each character toward confrontation with her own limits, fears, and desires.

While early reviews were mixed, the film may still resonate with a niche audience. Those interested in fashion, cinema, or character driven drama could find value in its quieter moments and emotional focus. Couture does not promise fast paced spectacle or crowd pleasing twists. Instead, it appears to invite viewers into a reflective space, asking them to look past surface beauty and consider what it costs to survive in an image driven world. For some, that may feel restrained. For others, it may be precisely what makes the film worth watching.

Tags:

Fashion film, Paris Fashion Week, Angelina Jolie, Alice Winocour, French cinema, Women in film, Drama movie, Film festivals, Couture movie, Behind the scenes fashion