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July 26, 2021:

The production of the Apple TV Plus series SHANTARAM will be suspended following the introduction of tightened lockdown measures, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Sunday, saying all concerned parties are trying to find the best way out of the problem.

Shooting for the series, which initially began in Australia, was moved to India early last year when the Covid-19 pandemic began. However, when the outbreak spiraled out of control there, the set was moved to Thailand with the crew arriving on July 14.

However, as a new wave of Covid-19 infections swept across Thailand, the Centre of Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) issued more restrictions on activities and movement, which effectively forced the suspension of the series being shot by Paramount Television and Anonymous Content for Apple TV Plus on a budget of over US $100 million.

Tanee Sangrat, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and director-general of the Department of Information, said the production company had been given a series of instructions to ensure the set was safe for the crew to shoot in...
Mr Tanee pledged to find a solution which would allow production to resume as soon as possible.

July 27, 2021:

The Tourism Department will hold talks with Samut Prakan's public health office on Tuesday to come up with a solution over the suspension of production of Apple TV Plus series Shantaram as tough Covid-19 restrictions have been imposed in the province.

The six-month film permit for the series, approved by the department, has not been revoked and once authorities in Samut Prakan — where the shooting is taking place — grant permission, the film set can continue its work, said Anant Wongbenjarat, director-general of the Tourism Department.

 

I found a little more history on SHANTARAM. Russell Crowe was the first to express interest but when it went into film development in 2004, it had Johnny Depp attached as the star. Warner Bros. paid $2 million for the rights to the story, and the studio had Australian filmmaker Peter Weir lined up to direct. But by 2006, Weir was off the project because 'his interpretation of it differed greatly from that of the studio and producers." Johnny Depp tried again in 2013. After losing its director, the 'Shantaram' film project stalled until 2013, when Depp brought it back to life. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, at that time Depp was attached as both star and producer, and he was courting Joel Edgerton to direct. But ultimately, nothing came of it. By 2015, Warner’s rights to the project had expired. This left the project open for someone else to scoop up. And in January 2018, US production company Anonymous Content acquired the rights. That’s the version currently in production  with Anonymous and Paramount making it into a series for Apple TV.

Production for the TV series began in October 2019. The plan was to shoot 10 episodes split between Victoria in Australia and India. By mid-December of that year, two episodes had been shot. But in February 2020, Paramount Television halted filming and put the show on hiatus. It wasn’t because of the pandemic, though. Instead, they put things on hold because showrunner Eric Warren Singer was behind on writing the necessary episodes. Singer was forced out, and then the pandemic hit. Filming finally started up again in May 2021 and will continue until the end of the year. The cast and crew were filming in Australia, and then production was moved to Thailand. The cast is headed by British actor Charlie Hunnam, Presently, Steven Lightfoot is the showrunner, writer, and executive producer. AppleTV has not yet announced a premiere date.

In an April 2020 interview regarding the 3rd edition of the Rencontres du 7e Art, which ultimately had to be canceled due to the pandemic, Vincent was asked about the festival's poster, which paid homage to Marlon Brando.

"The urge to pay him homage came quickly, naturally, as our festival was created to take advantage of the immense careers of those who gravitate to the world of cinema. I also read the book entitled 'The Last Days of Marlon Brando", signed by Samuel Blumenfeld, who will also be giving a lecture at the Rencontres du 7e Art. We will also be showing the film 'On The Waterfront' and the documentary 'Listen to me Marlon', where Brando himself narrates the episodes of his life, as he recorded tapes like others keep a diary."

"Brando has been able to shake up the codes with a completely new form of animality in the way a role is played. So from the start of his career he was revered, everyone referred to him as a genius. He certainly ruined several generations of actors, in the sense that everyone wanted to be Brando. A myth was born. This glory put him in a position that made him lose the meaning of his life, yet one made up of important social struggles - he fought for blacks, condemned the genocide of Native Americans. This brilliant, learned and humanistic man has become a sort of paranoid ogre who has withdrawn into his home, with real military artillery hidden under his bed. A house in which he saw his son kill his daughter's companion. One expression says that glory is the shining mourning of happiness, his life illustrates this perfectly. This fallen angel, overweight and rejected by Hollywood at the end of his life, voluntarily destroyed this iconic image by turning in ridiculous films, which had for only merit to be at the top of the pile of the scenarios which one sent him. It’s sad to see that fame and Hollywood have devoured such a magnificent being from within!"

"I retain the image of a genius, which marked me deeply when I first started seeing his films, around the age of 15. The movie 'Via Zapata' introduced me to director Elia Kazan, Actors Studio. By rebounding it changed my life, because that's when I decided to become an actor... For me, his masterpieces are 'A Streetcar Named Desire' in which, for the first time, carnal impulses are dramatized by sulphurous inflamed paces between exposed virility and passionate neurosis, 'Viva Zapata', a fine example of a man who has power and shares it exclusively with others, and 'On The Waterfront', a powerful and overwhelming love story, featured in our poster. We could do all the Meetings of the 7th Art on him, as his filmography is impressive, strange and iconic."

Vincent's next acting project is a television series called SHANTARAM, presently filming in Melbourne, Australia. The drama thriller is based on the novel of the same name by Gregory David Roberts. The story drew inspiration from Roberts' own life and tells the story of a man on the run from an Australian prison looking to get lost in the teeming city of Bombay. Cut off from family and friends by distance and fate, he finds a new life in the slums, bars and underworld of India. The novel is described as an exploration of love, forgiveness and courage on the long road to redemption. It has been published in 39 languages in 42 territories worldwide and sold more than 6 million copies to date.

The series will consist of ten episodes, with Vincent starring in seven of them. The book's description of his character Didier Levy is as follows - "A magnificently corrupt modern dandy, infamous for his infatuations with attractive young men".  Since the novel was published in 2003, several parties have expressed interest in a film adaptation including Johnny Depp. The series will be distributed through streaming service Apple TV+.

Last year Vincent's Franco-Senegalese wife Karine Silla had her latest book "Aline et les hommes de guerre" published, and on Friday, she attended a dedication ceremony in Dakar coinciding with the official launch of "Intelligence magazine". Present were several writers and personalities from the world of media and culture as well as Vincent's mother-in-law and son Pablo. The book outlines the journey of Aline Sitoé Diatta, highlighting the bravery of the priestess of Cabrousse who led the fight for the emancipation of her people during colonization.

There's an old interview by Blender magazine featuring Vincent discussing his "Crow" role that's now available at this YouTube link. It's in English!

Both Vincent's daughter and stepdaughter have made the news recently. Roxane, the 29-year-old daughter of Gerard Depardieu and Vincent's Senegalese wife Karine, graduated from the California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles and since then has been creating works of art in sculpture, drawings, paintings and serigraphs. She has a particular passion for horses and nature. Her latest exhibition is at the  Château de La Sarraz in Lausanne, Switzerland, which obviously came about through the help of her stepfather. With those braids, Roxane certainly looks more Mexican than French.

There's a short video interview with Vincent at this link where he discusses his Rencontres 7e Art Lausanne. Note his clean-shaven look! He looks ten years younger!

You can check out another Swiss media interview at this link.

And a Taxiphone interview at this youtube link.

Daughter Iman can be seen this month in Sofia Coppola's exclusive campaign film, "The Chanel Iconic", shot in celebration of Chanel's 11.12 handbag. This short ad also features Carole Bouquet, Anna Mouglalis,  Louisede Chevigny and Zoé Adjani (niece of Isabelle Adjani), seen below with Iman. Personally, I wouldn't use this unattractive bag if you paid me! As far as the ad, the fast-editing technique doesn't work well.

Speaking of campaigns, here's a photo of Vincent with Sarah Poniatowski in her sunglasses ad, described in my December 2020 update.

Turn the clock back to 1994 and here's a photo of a young Vincent that he posted himself online. Is he not oozing with sex appeal?

With the reopening of cinemas in Switzerland, the 4th edition of the Rencontres 7e Art Lausanne will take place from April 26 to May 2, in a hybrid form, in digital but also in theaters. On the menu for these festivities will be film screenings but also master classes with guests such as Jean Dujardin. Some events will be broadcast on the festival's Youtube channel, on Facebook and on the dedicated website. One of the Youtube events is a conversation between Vincent and actress Marthe Keller on April 29 at 7 pm.

I suspect most American fans will have little knowledge of Marthe Keller. I only recognize her name from the 1977 Al Pacino film, "Bobby Deerfield". Vincent will host a master class on April 27 and will participate in "The Think Cinema Round Table" event on May 1.

This year's poster for Les Rencontres 7e Art Lausanne - a scene from "La Dolce Vita".

"What other film than Federico Fellini's working master, Palme d'Or in 1960, could better represent the quintessence of cinema? A photo, to stop the time, a magical, iconic moment, with Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg, a moment that works well. A way for us to recall what cinema generates as pleasure and pleasure." ...Vincent Perez, President of Rencontres 7e Art Lausanne
 

For 22 years since the creation of the VPA, I have not been able to create a movie page for a  short film called CENDRE D'OR due to lack of information. The 17-minute film was directed by Jean-Philippe Ecoffey in 1992 with a cast that included Vincent, Marie Dubois, Bernard Ballet, Elisabeth Kaza and Dolorès Chaplin. I recently came across an article about the film in the French newspaper La Nouvelle République.

The film was shot in the Deux-Sèvres in Western France, which has served as the backdrop for many films. The reason this locale was chosen was because producer Benoît Jaubert was from Beauvoir-sur-Niort. In 1992, his parents still lived there. Hence, the setting. The story concerns a farmer's grandson named Xavier, who returns from military service in North Africa. He brings with him his girlfriend who he met there. In the photo below is a very young Vincent taking a break with his director.

Jean-Philippe was a long-time friend of Vincent's, sharing Swiss nationality and training at the Amandiers school in Nanterre under the leadership of Patrice Chéreau. The director was accompanied on location by his companion at the time, actress Marine Delterme. Also present during the shoot was actress Jacqueline Bisset, who Vincent had been dating since 1988. The newspaper pointed out that it was strange to see this beautiful international star strolling in her jeans around the countryside.

Newspaper excerpt:

One afternoon in June 1992. A stubborn sun heats up the courtyard of a small isolated farm among the cornfields near Prissé-la-Charrière. Vincent Pérez is waiting at the entrance to the living room of the small farmhouse. At the signal, he enters: "I have brought you my sun". This sentence by the one who has just triumphed over Catherine Deneuve in "Indochine" will be repeated five times until director Jean-Philippe Ecoffey is satisfied.

For a week, the small farm in Prissé-la-Charrière will experience a joyful bustle punctuated by meals taken around a large table set up in the shade. On the last evening, the actors, director, producers and the technicians from the Moulin du Roc meet in the barn of the farmhouse for a large banquet. With the last bite of chocolate cake swallowed, Vincent gets up to step out onto the edge of a cornfield and sings at the top of his lungs under the moonlight.

In honor of Valentine's Day, we will celebrate familial love! The first two photos show Vincent's wife Karine Silla with their daughter Tess. The second set of photos show Karine's mother Renee, brother Jean-Baptiste and sister Virginie.

Recently twins Tess and Pablo celebrated their 18th birthday and the proud father posted this photo of the pair.

The web site for Rencontres 7ème Art Lausanne has been reworked and now contains an archive of previous editions. If you look at the team management page, you'll see that many of Vincent's friends and family are involved. His wife Karine is the Art Director for Events and Hospitality. Some of the patrons include his brother-in-law Luc Besson and sister-in-law Virginie Besson-Silla and several actresses he has worked with - Sophie Marceau, Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, Irène Jacob and Emma Thompson.

In a 2018 interview in Polka magazine, Vincent was asked how the idea of this celebration of cinema came about. He responded, "I recently discovered that the Lausanne Cinémathèque archives were stored in the village of Penthaz, fifteen kilometers from the city. I happened to grow up there. These archives are next to the football field where I played as a child; two people from the film library now live in my childhood home built by my father. It was like a sign. I have always liked living experiences, taking on challenges and, in a way, putting myself in danger: my first photo exhibition at the European House of Photography in Paris in 2017, my first photo book published by Delpire entitled 'A Voyage to Russia' and above all, my first truly international film, 'Alone in Berlin'. This feature film was a trigger. It took me ten years to make it and it revolutionized my relationship with cinema. And then there is the Lumière festival, created by Thierry Frémeaux and dedicated to heritage films, which influenced me and made me want to share my passion for cinema. So I started working on the project to set up a festival in Lausanne, a city with 40,000 academics and some of the best faculties in the world. The guiding principle has imposed itself: to establish a link between heritage, transmission and prospective."

In my last post, I mentioned that Vincent had a special fondness for hats. In March 2018, he was in Alessandria, Italy, and took time to visit the Borsalino factory, the oldest Italian company specializing in the manufacture of luxury hats. Since 1857, these felt hats have been known for their extraordinary quality, unmistakable style and timeless elegance. Vincent was curious how the historic hats were made so he visited the factory and discovered how much craftsmanship there is behind each piece. In the first photo he poses with Roberta Datola, who's been working for the company for 22 years, and in the second photo, he poses with a couple of the factory workers. The hat suits him well.

I love this striking photo taken at Cannes in 2017. When I look at it,  I can't resist singing "Puttin' on the Ritz".

In a March 24, 2017 Swiss edition of Madame Figaro, Vincent shared some of his favorite places in Lausanne.

Beau-Rivage Palace "This hotel is a strange marriage between glamour and simplicity. Nestled in a garden facing the Alps, by the lake and its banks, in Ouchy, but also ten minutes from the city center. It enjoys an exceptional location. From Victor Hugo to Charlie Chaplin, Coco Chaplin or Tina Turner, celebrities have been staying there since 1861! It gives off a unique atmosphere."

La Brasserie de Montbenon
"Everything pleases me: its historic building, its terrace, its Vaudois products and its popular but high-quality cuisine."

Bar Tabac
"To read between two meetings. Authentic and friendly atmosphere."

Chat Noir
"We eat well there among the musicians of L'Opera de Lausanne and surrounded by black and white photos of the celebrities who have come here."

La Pinte Besson and Café de l’Évêché
'You don't leave Lausanne without having, at least once, tasted a fondue. For this, head to La Pinte Besson, one of the oldest cafes in the city, which dates from 1780! At Café de l’Évêché, next to the cathedral, I like the atmosphere enlivened by large tables with very happy customers."

Coup de Chapeau
"A charismatic hatter where I buy my headgear. An accessory that I wear often, I feel good under a hat."

The photo used by Madame Figaro was actually from a 2013 photo shoot. Here are some new hi-res images:

It just so happens that Vincent's younger sister Estrella is also a chapeau lover and is a creator of some beautiful women's hats. Very talented! The photo below of Estrella and Vincent was probably taken in the '90s. I can't identify the man.

And speaking of hats, this latest photo of Vincent's model daughter Iman posing for Thailand's Vogue is embued with Asian elegance. I want to look like this in my next life!

The other day I posted a new gallery for the 47th Cannes Film Festival in 1994 but forgot to add these two photos of Vincent and Carla Bruni.

There's a new gallery in the "Photography" section, which features the photo shoot Vincent did for Normal Magazine two years ago. Looks like it was a rough day for him with all these pretty nude girls posing for him!

In lieu of the fact that there's a pandemic and there are so few events to report on, I will continue to add new material to the VPA. Today I've posted a photo gallery for the 1994 Cannes Film Festival. It was the year that "Queen Margot" premiered and Vincent was dating the famous model Carla Bruni. What a gorgeous couple they made!

The historical costume drama won the Jury Award and the Best Actress Award for Virna Lisi at Cannes and it also won five Césars the following year. Vincent had already become France's heartthrob after starring in "Cyrano de Bergerac" (1990) and "Indochine" (1992) and playing the handsome "La Mole" only strengthened his charismatic film presence. The love scenes and his nudity were a sensation at the time.

There's an interesting clip on youtube of the film's cast trying out their costumes. Vincent can be seen right after Virni Lisa at the very beginning. Click on this photo for the link.

For previous news & photos, visit the following pages:

2021: January

2020: January/February, March/April, May-Sept, October/December

2019:  January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September-December

2018:  January/February, March, April/May, June/July, August/September, October-December

2017:  January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September, October, November/December

2016:  January, February, March, April/May, June/July, August/September, October, November/December

2015:  January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October, November/December

2014:  January/February, March, April, May, June/July, August, September, October, November, December

2013: January/February, March/April, May, June, July/August, September/October, November/December

2012: January/February, March/April, May/June, July, August, September/October, November, December

2011: January/February, March/April, May, June, July/August, September/October, November/December

2010: January/February, March/April, May, June-August, September, October/November, December

2009: January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October, November/December

2008: January-April, May-September, October-December

2007: January-March, April/May, June/July, September/October, November/December

2006: January-May, Summer, September/October, November/December

2005: January/February, March/April, May-August. September-December

2004: January/February, March/April, May ,  June , July/August , September , October , November , December  

2003: January , February , March , April , May , June , July , August , September , October , November/December

2002: January , February , March/April , May , Summer , September , October , November/December

2001: January/February ,  March/April, May/June, July/August,  September/October , November/December

2000:  January/February,  March , April , May , June , Summer , September , October , November , December

1999:  Summer, September/October, November/December