myDylarama

Interviews : Isabelle Putod, réalisatrice du film L'exilé du temps

Clotilde Couturier — 2017-09-14T13:38:06Z

Comment avez-vous créé la séquence d'introduction, est-ce un vrai ralenti ?
Si vous évoquez le premier plan, c'est-à-dire le bloc de glace qui gonfle, se déforme et donne naissance à une goutte d'eau, il n'y a aucun effet de vitesse. Nicolas Mifsud, le chef opérateur du film, a fait de nombreux essais avant d'aboutir à cette image. Nous nous sommes rendu compte que la première goutte était la plus lente à apparaître.

Quelle est la part de textes et d'images de Michel Siffre par rapport à l'ensemble du film ?
J'ai écrit le texte en me basant sur son journal de bord. Les phrases ont été souvent réécrites, dans le sens de la concision. Le travail le plus long a été de les choisir et de les mettre dans un ordre intéressant pour la narration du film.
Je me suis aussi beaucoup posé la question du temps (au présent ou au passé) à utiliser.
Les archives filmées de Michel Siffre ont une durée d'environ 3 mn.

Comment avez-vous créé la voix et travaillé l'ambiance sonore ? Comment vous est venue l'idée des intermèdes chantés et comment avez-vous choisi les chansons ?
Pour la voix, il ne s'agit pas de la voix de Michel Siffre mais d'un comédien de théâtre, Franck Lacroix.
Nous nous connaissons depuis longtemps (j'ai fait du théâtre dans ma jeunesse), et j'avais l'intuition qu'il fallait que ce soit lui.
Je ne me suis pas trompée. Longtemps avant d'enregistrer sa voix, nous avions fait une lecture du scénario.
Je n'ai donc pas fait de casting et Franck a été excellent.
Pour l'ambiance sonore, j'ai travaillé avec Hervé Le Dorlot, compositeur, musicien, mais aussi mon compagnon.
Cette proximité a permis de prendre du temps. J'ai utilisé certains morceaux de musique pour monter en fonction du rythme de la musique. Parfois, c'était la musique qui s'adaptait aux images.
Pour les musiques d'époques, je savais que Michel Siffre écoutait des disques vinyles et particulièrement Luis Mariano.
Il disait que l'écoute de voix humaines le consolait un peu de sa solitude.
J'ai choisi la chanson « Maman, la plus belle du monde », car c'était un moyen de montrer la fragilité d'un homme qui a peur, et qui pense à sa mère.
C'est un peu pathétique et drôle à la fois.
La chanson « Pour une amourette » de Leny Escudero, s'est imposée à moi dès le début de l'écriture.

Pourquoi étiez-vous intéressée par le déroulement de l'expérience et pas à l'analyse qui a lieu après : les effets sur le corps, sur les muscles comme sur les cinq sens ? Par exemple, à quel point la vue s'était-elle adaptée à la pénombre…
Pour moi, Michel Siffre est une sorte de Robinson Crusoé dans un gouffre. Le livre de Michel Tournier, « Vendredi ou Les limbes du Pacifique » m'a beaucoup inspiré.
Il vit une expérience hors du temps, et je voulais que le spectateur puisse s'imaginer dans cette situation de perte de repère.
Si j'avais développé l'analyse de l'expérience, mon film serait devenu scientifique, et ce n'était pas mon but.

A la fin du film, vous évoquez une autre expérience de ce type réalisée par Michel Siffre (NASA), envisagez-vous de l'explorer dans un second film ? De manière générale, êtes-vous intéressée par la thématique de l'expérience extrême et envisagez-vous de faire d'autres films dans cette thématique ?
Je la connais bien et je me suis posé la question d'une sorte de suite, en effet.
La seconde expérience de Michel Siffre est radicalement différente.
Il était alors devenu un cobaye, totalement pris en charge par la NASA.
Les conditions étaient confortables mais il n'était plus maître de son expérience. Sa nourriture et ses excréments étaient pesés, il portait des électrodes en permanence sur la tête et le visage et devait mesurer ses réflexes.
Rapidement, il est tombé dans une profonde dépression.
Le jour de sa sortie, les médias étaient absents : C'était le 5 septembre 1972 et ce même jour a eu lieu la prise d'otages des Jeux olympiques de Munich (aussi appelée massacre de Munich).
J'écris actuellement un documentaire/fiction : l'assassinat par son amant d'une femme mariée dans les années 30. Henriette était ma grand-tante, et son histoire me hante depuis mon enfance.

Quels ont été vos coups de coeur au cinéma cette année ?
C'est Walking Dead qui me vient à l'esprit. Je suis actuellement « accro » de cette série étonnamment politique.
Cela ne signifie pas qu'il y a un rapport entre Michel Siffre et un zombie.
Quoique...

Des diffusions publiques au calendrier ?
J'ai choisi de proposer mon film en premier au festival de Clermont-Ferrand. Mais d'autres diffusions suivront.

Allez-vous profiter du Festival de Clermont-Ferrand pour participer aux rencontres avec le public, les expressos, et participerez-vous aussi à d'autres festivals ?
Il y en a beaucoup, je pense que je ne vais pas m'ennuyer !
Par exemple, j'irai au Focus Résidences de création Résidence de création de musique originale de court métrage à La Chaise-Dieu
et rencontrer les lycées et leur web télé : LDV Télévision.

Teaser du film :

Bande annonce de "l'exilé du temps" from isabelle on Vimeo.

https://vimeo.com/182820700

Short of the Week: Q&A with Nick Jordan, director of Thought Broadcasting

Brasserie du Court team — 2017-08-01T15:34:42Z

Thought Broadcasting is a film about psychosis and surveillance. A composite of fact and fiction, the film draws upon real-life accounts of a schizophrenic disorder: the belief that ones thoughts are being transmitted and heard by others. Set against the proliferation of mobile phone masts in the urban and rural landscape, the film reveals a fragmented inner world of paranoid delusions and acute anxiety, off-set by revelations of mass surveillance and data gathering by government security agencies.

Nick Jordan's highly original short was selected as part of this year's Clermont-Ferrand International programme.

Thought Broadcasting trailer from Nick Jordan on Vimeo.

So where did the idea of focusing on broadcasting come from?

I've been wanting to make a film related to psychiatry and mental health for some time. For many years I've been involved in producing mental health training videos for a University and hospital teaching unit, so I've been somewhat immersed in the subject. With the recent revelations by Edward Snowden, of mass data gathering and monitoring by our secret services, I thought it would be apt to combine a paranoid, anxious psychosis with issues of surveillance or spying. The film draws upon real-life accounts of a schizophrenic disorder called ‘thought broadcasting', in which a person believes their thoughts are being transmitted and heard by others.

Can you tell us a bit more about the selection of filming locations?

I've been struck by the proliferation of mobile phone masts in the urban and rural landscape. They are now everywhere, and have become almost invisible to us on a daily basis, despite being so prominent. Most of the phone masts were filmed in my home city of Manchester. I also filmed in an abandoned broadcast television station, plus an actual psychiatric training video unit – which is where I shot the role-play sequences. The other main location is Menwith Hill, Yorkshire. This is the military base which is effectively run by the United States' NSA (National Security Agency), with massive white ray domes used for covert listening and interception.

Why did you choose to have a voice over?

I usually work in layers of sound, combining voice-over, archive audio, location sounds and the soundtrack score performed by Lord Mongo. It's a method of collage, and I am interested in how an image is altered by the addition or manipulation of sound. It has a transformative power, in a way that only cinema can achieve I believe. The voice-over is mainly from a patient role-play, and I wanted more visual interest and contrast with visuals from a wider, external landscape. I didn't want to use actors really, wanting a very natural feel to the voices, rather than a dramatic interpretation. So I'm grateful that my friends did such a good job, with Alan Creedon playing the patient, and Adele Jordan and Andrea Zapp the psychiatrists. Fellow artist Clara Casian stood in as the AV technician in the film, observing and documenting the recording.

How did you work on the sounds and vibrations?

It's nearly all from the composer Lord Mongo. He creates these amazing tracks based on a mere hint or suggestion from me. Sometimes this is just a phrase or word, which is enough for Lord Mongo fire up his imagination, work late at night in trance-like state of mind, and conjure up these evocative, atmospheric scores. He uses a whole range of tools and devices, such as a MiniBrute synth, guitar, flute, hammer, scrunched leaves…which he manipulates and moulds into something. He doesn't see any actual video footage until the film is completed.

What are your interests as a filmmaker? What are you keen to experiment with in a future project?

I'm interested in the documentary form, but from a visual artist background and approach. The subjects usually relate to the interconnections between natural, cultural and social history. Cross-pollinations or hybrid works which present oblique, layered narratives, photographed in direct response to particular locations, without much in the way or prior planning. My film work has emerged from a fine art painting background, so the visual dynamics or unique properties of ‘moving pictures' is paramount to me. I'm also interested in how fictional genres such as sci-fi or horror can be combined or used in interesting ways within the documentary format. I'm currently working on a new film called Intentional Community, made in collaboration with Clara Casian. It's a documentary portrait of Braziers Park School of Integrative Social Research, in Oxfordshire. Alongside archive material and portraits of the extraordinary Gothic house and grounds, it features interviews with residents and members of the collective, which is modelled as an experiment in the ‘art and science of living together'. It has a fascinating and unique ‘psychosocial' organizational structure. It's also home to Supernormal Festival, where we'll be showing the work later this year.

Click here for the latest info about Nick Jordan's work and where to find it.

Short of the Week: Wañuy - Clermont-Ferrand 2017

Abla Kandalaft — 2017-06-21T12:42:09Z

Alejandro Roca Rey's hauntingly moving film was one of our coups de coeur at this year's Clermont film festival. Alejandro recently announced Wañuy's selection at the Palm Springs Festival.

Le court du jour : “Wañuy” de Alejandro Roca Rey from ClermontFd Short Film Festival on Vimeo.

More on Wañuy on the film's official Facebook page.

Short of the Week: Squirrel Island - Clermont-Ferrand 2017

Abla Kandalaft — 2017-03-23T15:47:37Z

Astrid Goldsmith is an animator based in Kent. Her short, Squirrel Island, was rewarded at the Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival; the craftsmanship displayed and attention to detail were applauded by the festival's audience and jury alike.

We caught up with Astrid to find out more about her approach to animation and sources of inspiration.

Le court du jour : “Squirrel island” de Astrid Goldsmith from ClermontFd Short Film Festival on Vimeo.

Find out more about Astrid's work at http://www.mockduck.co.uk/squirrel-island/.

Clermont-Ferrand Interviews: Bryony Dunne, director of Gasper

Abla Kandalaft — 2017-03-07T21:42:46Z

So, can you tell us more about Gasper and how the idea for the film came about?

The film came about when I took a trip back to Ireland, where I grew up, to visit family and friends in the summer of 2015. While I was there I unexpectedly met Gasper, an old friend from Ireland, who was part of a group of friends that I grew up with. One evening, when I was driving Gasper home after a friend's dinner party, we started discussing the unaffordable housing property for young people wanting to buy in Wicklow (the area where I was born and the film was shot). Surrounded by the insecurities of others, he told me that he felt content and secure with his own living situation. I questioned whether he was referring to his life in Slovenia (where he was from), or in the small caravan in the mountains, where he had been based for the last couple of months. “The caravan,” he replied. The next day I went to see Gasper's caravan in the daylight: he had created what looked like a film set for himself, with a wooden deck that was like the stage of a theatre. His cooking equipment and washbasin were the same blue as his caravan. I knew I had to make a film about the world Gasper had created for himself.

Rather than making a film where I was a voyeuristically documenting that world, I wanted to make a film in collaboration with the creator of it. Gasper and I drafted monologues and determined shooting locations in tandem, inevitably gaining insight into each other's minds and beings. We staged numerous re-enactments of his daily routines, in addition to scenes from his own imagination, e.g. over an open fire beside his caravan, he bathed in a vintage famine pot filled with stream water and rose petals. This scene shows Gasper acting (living) out one of his visions for the first time, and is a poet nod to his idyllic, dreamlike isolation. Gasper's struggle to conform to the structural systems of society — to lead a “normal life” — is hidden in the concept of producing a semi-fictionalized documentary portrait. For instance, a white bed sheet was used on the clothes line to hide the house belonging to Gasper's neighbor, so to maintain his idyllic isolation.
Shooting a film in the location where I grew up and spent my childhood days has allowed me to indirectly express the complicated nostalgia that I have for it: Sometimes when I return, I ponder if I should leave, not when; and at other times, when I should leave, not if.

Can you tell us a bit more about your artistic/filmic choices? There are some very colorful close-ups of nature (the fish, flowers...) - I'm echoing the voice at the end.... What were you keen to explore?

Space and objects help to build a portrait of a person, and with that an understanding of who they might be in their own eyes and on their own stages. I like the idea that you don't have to know all the answers, so I went on to create an experience for the audience of what it must feel like to be Gasper, living in self-imposed isolation. Instead of voice overs and dialogue, I used the language of the natural world such as birdsong, trees in the wind, and running water.

But at the end of the film, I decide to invert or distort the parallel world that he's created: Gasper's father calls and leaves him a voice message. In doing so, I imagined the audience questioning the true nature of the film and Gasper's existence. I asked Gasper's father to watch the film, and then afterwards for him to give his son some feedback on his performance (life). Gasper set up a skype call with him, and I asked if I could join in and record it without his father knowing. That was the closest to the truth that I could capture in Gasper. His father poured immense heart and contemplation into his feed, and Gasper's isolation seemed to fade away.

Are you interested in focusing on documentaries? Or are you keen to explore other genres?

The documentary genre is an important and ambitious form, but I find it can sometimes curb the imagination of the audience, as well as of the filmmakers and characters involved. I think "truthful" is a complicated word in terms of documentary films, and I am more interested in allowing the characters to exist as they are. And, if you experiment with the form, you might allow them to exist as their idealized or chosen selves too, bringing together their exterior and interior lives. In my forthcoming film Pembe, I weave in and out of investigative interviews and surreal dramatizations that are based on my own interpretations. Gasper, too, has been made in the docufiction tradition: the imagination is to be celebrated, not inhibited. Accordingly, Gasper the man became Gasper the man and amateur actor playing himself.

Any cinematic coups de cœur in the past year you'd like to tell us about?

Fire at Sea, a film made by Gianfranco Rosi. Films that are made about the crises of our time whether it be war, poverty, ecological disaster, and in this case the refugee crisis, can start to seem interchangeable. Documentaries are just as susceptible to formula as action movies or romantic comedies. Rosi's film is an account of an acute form of human misery and desperation, made in a highly creative and imaginative form, not adhering to any conventional form. Films that have the potential to move us emotionally by instigating our imagination can help us explore difficult topics such as isolation and dislocation.

Any other releases scheduled?

yes lots of exciting film festival screening, best to keep updated on the facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Gasperfilm2016/

Next screening in County Cork, as part of the Fastnet Film Fest - 24-28 May!

Short of the Week: Johnno's Dead - Clermont-Ferrand 2017

Abla Kandalaft — 2017-03-01T11:23:50Z

We caught up with animator and filmmaker - and Clermont-Ferrand coup de coeur director - Chris Shepherd during the 2017 edition. His latest short, Johnno's Dead, a sort of sequel to his very successful, dark and mesmerising short film Dad's Dead, was screened as part of the Lab competition. Both films, voiced by Ian Hart, use a clever and beautiful mix of animation and live action, which immerse the audience in the narrator's sorry, and at times incongruously comical, tale.

Dad's Dead and other highly recommended shorts are available on Chris's website.

Le court du jour : “Johnno's Dead” de Chris Shepherd from ClermontFd Short Film Festival on Vimeo.

So what happened to Johnno and our unfortunate narrator... Here's a glimpse of Johnno's Dead

Johnno's Dead Teaser - Winner of Best British Film at LIAF 2016. from chris shepherd on Vimeo.

Clermont-Ferrand Interviews: Douwe Dijkstra, director of Green Screen Gringo

Abla Kandalaft — 2017-02-26T20:52:30Z

One of Mydy's Lucile Bourliaud's TOP 5 from this year's Clermont-Ferrand Film Fest, and winner of the Grand Prix, Douwe Dijkstra's Green Screen Gringo is a highly original short in which the filmmaker invites ordinary Brazilians to read poems or talk about their country while a green screen superimposes random scenes that jar, complement or clash with the situation at play. Douwe's previous work, Démontable (2014) and Supporting Film (Voor Film, 2015), have both been lauded on the festival circuit.

Green Screen Gringo - (TRAILER) ENG from Douwe Dijkstra on Vimeo.

What is your interest in mixing images like these? Would you consider them to be the natural follow-up to the old mix-tape?

The mixing of images relates to how I add up observations when I travel. Something, I think, everybody does. You might not actually see certain things in the same scene, but they still add up in your head to form your personal accumulated impression of a place. In addition to this there are also the media, be it TV, newspapers or social media. With digital media in particular I think we view them in a mix-tape kind of way, switching quickly and arbitrary from one thing to the next. A mixture of real, fake, close and distant realities that has become custom, I tried to include this in the film as well.
Also, collaging techniques are something I worked with in a lot of my previous films and I wanted to get it out of the controlled studio environment. As to explore this way of working outside in a city. With chaos and accident as part of the process. This blending of pictures is not just a technical approach but foremost a method that results in an investigating and exploring way of conceiving a film.

What contrasts were you trying to explore?

Many different ones, nature versus city, past and present, the visitor and the visited. When filming in Brazil I started with the most obvious and explicit: inequality. Seen in many ways in São Paulo's streetscape, it's what stroke me first. But I also wanted to go beyond that, because showing contrasts like that can become vulgar. I looked for detours in the narrative to tell a story of inequality and intolerance and I also tried to include the political situation. The way the Brazilian people are currently represented by their rich-white-male-cabinet is maybe the biggest and saddest contrast of all.

Can you tell us more about the shoot? How did the people you were filming react?

At first I started with the naive idea of approaching people all by myself. I don't speak Portuguese so I used a letter to tell people about my project. This didn't work at all, you need to have a conversation, so I needed a translator. Many people, and especially Bella Tozini, were extremely helpful in assisting me during my shoots. Sometimes they needed to talk to people for 10 minutes in order to win their trust, sometimes people only asked questions afterwards. But overall people responded very positively to my project. I must say that 'the gringo' is greeted with great hospitality in Brazil. I think that, in general, people in Europe would be far more hesitant to be filmed for something like this.

What films have inspired you this year?

In feature films I was very fascinated by the works of Ulrich Seidl lately. Especially his Paradise Trilogy and Im Keller. I love the way he combines documentary scenes with staged and acted scenes. Sometimes it's on the edge of exploitation, but this also makes his work very powerful. As for short films I really liked BÄR by Pascal Flörks, funny and touching. And I am very excited about Symboblic Threats by Mischa Leinkauf, Lutz Henke and Matthias Wermke. It is very inspiring to see how they reveal political and media hysteria with humour, precision and just plain guts. Also amazing is the recent long documentary Stranger in Paradise by Guido Hendrikx, a very bold approach on the refugee crisis.

If you've already been to the Clermont-Ferrand, could you share with us an anecdote or story from the festival? If not, what are your expectations for this edition?

In 2015, I was at the festival for the first time and I made the mistake of only visiting the last weekend of the festival and skipping the film market. In 2016, I did go during the week and found out how interesting and fun the film market can be. When babysitting the Dutch stand at the market for a bit because the Eye people were out for lunch, a Brazilian guy stopped by to win information about Dutch Filmfestivals. I couldn't really help him with that. But I did tell him that I was working on my Green Screen Gringo film. He turned out to be a very important advisor and supporter of the project. And some of the voice messages he send me on Whatsapp about the political situation in Brazil ended up in the film as voice overs.

Are any other releases scheduled ?

No new releases scheduled, but working on future plans. As for future releases of Green Screen Gringo, among others it's going to Punto De Vista, Festival Internacional de cine de lanzarote, Tampere Film Festival, Shortwaves and the Glasgow Short Film Festival.

We also caught up with Douwe at Clermont, and had a chance to expand a little on Green Screen Gringo...

Le court du jour : "Green Screen Gringo" de Douwe Dijkstra from ClermontFd Short Film Festival on Vimeo.

You heard the man, see above for other festivals at which you can catch the film. More info at www.douwedijkstra.nl.

Clermont-Ferrand Interviews: Dania Bdeir, director of In White

Abla Kandalaft — 2017-02-20T09:44:43Z

Could you tell us a bit more about where the inspiration came from to tell Lara's story? Are there any autobiographical elements?

The inspiration behind In White is definitely autobiographical. I lost my father in 2009 and it was my first experience of a funeral as a “host” as opposed to a guest. The ritual that took part across 3 days, at a time when my heart was pretty much broken, lingered with me long after the funeral. The visual and auditory experience in the film is in some ways my impressionistic memory of those 3 days. It also deals with the feeling of returning home after living away for a period... The inevitable change one goes through when they leave their comfort zone and the difficulty of having to face their old world and their old self. That feeling is all too familiar to me and my sisters.

There is a sort of haze that permeates certain scenes. Could you explain that specific artistic choice?

I was lucky enough to collaborate with a great team. In terms of the look and general feel of the image, my extremely talented cinematographer and I worked a
lot on establishing a look that would best represent Lara's inner state throughout the film. In fact, the goal of each department was to tell Lara's story through their field (sound, production design and wardrobe as well). The choice of the haze was to represent Lara's feelings of grief and loss of self. The haze is also the endless stream of guests flowing in and out, faces and hands merging and the repetitive nature of the funeral.

What is the significance of the last scene? [Spoiler alert]

In the last scene, Lara catches up with the truest version of herself. She grabs hold of the driver's seat and operates for the first time on screen. After being denied the one thing she believed would help her through her grief, the one thing that she felt would honour her father's memory, Lara had to undergo what she finds to be a repetitive unemotional ritual. When she finally walks out to the room wearing proudly what she wanted to wear in the beginning, white, the haze is dissipated and we see Lara clearly in her full glory standing up for who she truly is.

Can you tell us a bit more about your background as a filmmaker?

I've always had a love for telling stories. In my undergrad, I didn't have the courage to pursue a degree in filmmaking and ended up studying graphic design instead. Design was a great base and it taught me a very important way of thinking that I still use until today. The graphic design programme in the American University of Beirut was very much rooted in the environment. It was broad enough that it allowed me to experiment with storytelling through different mediums and to really engage in the world around me: Beirut. However, I wasn't a designer at heart. When I went to NYC one summer and visited NYU and Columbia's grad film departments, I immediately fell in love. I moved to NYC soon after my undergrad to pursue an MFA in writing and directing at Tisch School of the Arts, NYU.In 2013, I shot my first short film in Beirut, KALEIDOSCOPE which got into festivals all around the world. In White was my thesis project that I shot in early 2016. It is a proof of concept for a feature film I've written with the same premise. I've always felt that there was a lack of representation of Arab stories in the world and that we're missing from the global conversation. My inspiration as a filmmaker lies in telling untold stories from the Middle East and maybe more particularly, because it is closest to my heart Beirut and its craziness.

Any cinematic coups de cœur in the past year you'd like to tell us about?

Honestly the first that comes to mind is Moonlight. I found Moonlight to be a deeply moving film. I found myself thinking about it for days afterwards and that's when I know I loved a film. It was such a beautifully told different story and it was extremely emotional. The cinematography and the actors' performances were really special.

If you've already been to the Clermont-Ferrand, could you share with us an anecdote or story from the festival? If not, what are your expectations for this edition?

I've never been to Clermont-Ferrand before and I am so excited to be going. Ever since I started film school, I've been hearing about Clermont-Ferrand. It has been a dream of mine to show my film there. The idea of sharing my work with audiences all around the world is the part that excites me most. I'm also looking forward to seeing if this film generates interest for a longer version and potentially meeting people who might be interested in working with me on bringing it to life.

Visit the Facebook page for more updates on the film. The trailer is on the website. Contact us directly for any queries about the film or requests for screenings and we'll forward on to Dania.

Café court / Short Talk - Dania Bdeir from ClermontFd Short Film Festival on Vimeo.

Clermont-Ferrand 2017 : TOP 5 #1

Lucile Bourliaud — 2017-02-18T10:31:47Z

DeKalb Elementary

On comprend qu'il ait gagné le grand prix de la compétition internationale, tant ce film puissant et inattendu reste en mémoire après la projection.
Un plan fixe sur le bureau d'accueil d'une école primaire. Nous sommes aux États-Unis. Les gens vont et viennent, la vie suit son cours, jusqu'à ce qu'un jeune homme arrive et, fébrilement, sorte une arme de son sac à dos. Le spectateur se fige dans son fauteuil, craignant une histoire glaçante à la Elephant ou We Need to Talk about Kevin.

S'instaure alors un dialogue surréaliste entre l'adolescent, clairement dépassé par ce qu'il est en train de faire, et la réceptionniste, cherchant calmement à le dissuader. L'histoire serait inspirée de faits réels, mais la fiction transcende le fait divers pour nous dire, non sans humour, le désarroi et la beauté de l'humanité. Le réalisateur Reed van Dyk filme l'échange avec une grande maîtrise, et nous entraîne au plus près de ce drôle de duo, dont le personnage principal n'est peut-être pas celui qu'on croit.

Anna

Ce film israëlien par Or Sinai dévoile son charme par petites touches, et l'on s'étonnerait presque qu'il laisse une si forte impression. Nous y suivons Anna, mère célibataire et ouvrière, qui se retrouve seule un beau jour d'été, car son fils est resté chez son père. Impossible de faire plus d'heures supplémentaires, elle
rentre donc chez elle où elle va devoir faire face à l'inconnu : un après-midi de solitude, et de liberté. Face au miroir, elle observe son corps, habituellement ignoré, et décide de partir à la reconquête de sa sexualité. Cela donne lieu à quelques scènes cocasses, dans lesquelles les hommes, tout surpris qu'ils sont par cette femme qui assume son désir, en perdent tous leurs moyens. Mais le regard est toujours tendre et jamais moqueur dans ce beau portrait d'une femme à la moitié de sa vie, qui doit réapprendre le plaisir.

Green Screen Gringo

La compétition Labo, qui semble regrouper tous les films inclassables du festival, recèle de nombreuses pépites et le gagnant de cette année en est une. C'est la troisième fois en trois ans que le jeune animateur néerlandais Douwe Dijkstra est en compétition à Clermont-Ferrand. Dans Green Screen Gringo, il emporte son écran vert au Brésil, va à la rencontre des habitants et détourne les clichés grâce à d'astucieux collages. Un homme nous regarde, assis dans son bureau, entouré de
papiers et d'ordinateurs. Puis le décor s'efface, laissant apparaître l'homme, sans-abri, dans la rue. Le film interroge notre regard de spectateur, joue avec nos attentes. Politique, poétique et ludique tout à la fois, il propose un portrait morcelé d'un Brésil protéiforme.

For Real Tho

Autre film en compétition dans la section Labo, For Real Tho est un drôle d'objet, bien difficile à décrire. Un groupe de jeunes gens est en train de tourner un film. Ou plutôt, en train d'échouer à tourner un film, et c'est cet échec qu'ils commentent face caméra, brisant le quatrième mur pour s'adresser directement au spectateur. Il y a ici la réalisatrice, qui s'amuse du temps que l'on est en train de perdre à la regarder. L'actrice, qui interagit directement avec les sous-titres. Désabusés, filmés tels de drôles d'animaux de nuit éclairés uniquement par les phares de leurs voitures et les
lumières lointaines de la ville, ils dansent, boivent leurs sodas XXL, et nous agacent autant qu'ils nous font rire. Le projet est original, l'esthétique léchée, et Baptist Pentticobra un nom à suivre !

Que vive l'empereur

Récompensée en 2015 pour son film Ton Coeur au Hasard, Aude Léa Rapin représentait cette année la France dans la compétition internationale avec Que Vive l'Empereur. Il faut quelques minutes pour se rendre compte que l'acteur principal est le même dans les deux films : Jonathan Couzinié, ce grand blond un peu paumé qui buvait des bières dans son van dans le moyen métrage précédent, incarne cette fois un jeune homme fasciné par Napoléon et bien décidé à participer à une reconstitution de la bataille de Waterloo. Sa copine le suit partout et soutient sa drôle de lubie, malgré les humiliations qu'il lui fait constamment subir. La situation, brillamment jouée et dialoguée, est comique, mais l'on rit de plus en plus jaune. Le film atteint son point culminant lors du monologue du soldat, un vrai moment de bravoure qui prouve l'étendue du talent de Jonathan Couzinié. On espère le revoir bientôt, et on attend avec impatience le premier long qu'Aude Léa Rapin prépare avec Céline Sciamma.

Mentions spéciales :

Clermont-Ferrand n'est pas le paradis des amateurs du cinéma d'animation, mais programme quelques très beaux films, dont deux cette année qui y achevaient leur longue tournée des festivals :

Estate, de Ronny Trocker, film d'animation expérimental, donne vie à la célèbre photo d'un immigré clandestin, surgissant de la mer sur une plage méditerranéenne où bronzent quelques touristes en goguette. Un film choc et on ne peut plus actuel.

Love, de Réka Bucsi, fait suite à son merveilleux Symphony n.42 (séléctionné l'année dernière) et confirme le grand talent de cette jeune animatrice allemande, à la ligne claire, et à l'univers aussi joyeusement coloré que délicieusement mélancolique.

Pour plus d'info sur les films, où les trouver, comment prendre contact avec les réals etc, envoyez-nous à message via notre page contact.

Clermont-Ferrand Interviews: Daniel Mulloy, director of Home

Abla Kandalaft — 2017-02-11T21:08:50Z

We interviewed Daniel Mulloy, director of short film Home, selected at the Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival, starring Jack O'Connell and Holliday Grainger.
The film, partly funded by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was released in cinemas on 20 June 2016, to coincide with World Refugee Day.

Daniel tells us and the Brasserie du Court team about the filmmaking process, his time spent in a refugee camp and the support of the Kosovar crew...

Le court du jour : “Home” de Daniel Mulloy from ClermontFd Short Film Festival on Vimeo.

Filmed by the students of the Arfis at La Brasserie du Court.