Latest News - The Vincent Perez Archives

17 January 2021

The latest issue of Swiss Health magazine has Vincent on its cover with an extensive interview in which he talks about his love of Switzerland, exercise, his Rencontres 7e Art creation and his family.

One of the reasons he visits Lausanne often is to visit his 81-year-old German mother Arnoldine, who lives nearby in Morges and who suffers from Alzheimer's. Here is a photograph of her posted by Vincent a couple years ago. As many of you know, Vincent's father is Spanish but I didn't realize until recently that his father's full name is Antonio Perez Alberola. At some point, Vincent obviously shortened his last name to just Perez.

When Vincent is asked to describe the Rencontres 7e Art in Lausanne, he responds, "The festival lasts for four days, and we screen 40 to 50 movies in different locations around the city. They are all classics. Every year we set a theme and create a program around that theme. We also have conferences, which take place either in the Capital, a beautiful cinema in the center of Lausanne, or in other cinemas. The audience is generally between 18 and 35 years old with, of course, some older people, but I think it’s great that it attracts a young crowd. We partner with seven universities and colleges in Lausanne... Those 40,000 students are our target audience, but the festival is, of course, open to everybody."

Pictured below is Vincent with his wife and three children at the 2019 festival.

While Perez fans know that Iman is into modeling and horses and Pablo is at a Connecticut academy pursuing his dream of becoming a professional basketball player, we now know that Tess is interested in also coming to the States to study singing at a conservatory of music.

As far as Vincent's next project, he predicts he will be directing a new movie and will be choosing the cast very soon. He says, "We will be sending out the script to actors. I’ll be working with a wonderful English producer, Jeremy Thomas, who has worked on movies like 'The Last Emperor'. He’s an absolute genius, and I feel very lucky to be able to work with him. My co-writer is John Collee, who wrote 'Master and Commander'. It is an ecological thriller, kind of a metaphor of where we are, a reflection on our relationship with ecology. We don’t really know where to place ourselves, how we can do something for the planet, what is happening, and it scares us. So this movie plays with that idea."

02 January 2021

Due to the pandemic, Rencontres 7e Art Lausanne was canceled in March last year. In 2018, Vincent teamed up with the Cinémathèque Suisse, the country’s premiere film archive, to launch a heritage film festival in the actor’s hometown of Lausanne. For its first edition, the event ran under the title r7al – the Rencontres 7e Art Lausanne – and was rebranded Think Cinema Lausanne the following year. The official web site has announced the dates for this year's edition - March 12-21, 2021. However, it remains to be seen if the event will take place considering the situation with Covid-19 at that time. The following photos were featured in last year's coverage by Bâle Région Mag.

The pandemic has not only affected Vincent's filmmaking but also his continued work as a photographer. His last exhibition was at the Swiss Camera Museum, which ran from November 21, 2019 until January 26, 2020. Le Régional conducted the following interview at that time.

Q: Where does your love of photography come from?

Vincent; It was Pierre Gisling, my mentor and friend, who passed it on to me. He discovered me in Lausanne during a drawing competition when I was eleven years old. He was organizing drawing camps for young people and on my first trip he handed me a 24x36 Yashica and said: "Here, you should try this!". My first photograph was his portrait. The passion for photography has never left me since. Subsequently, I apprenticed as a photographer between Lausanne and Vevey.

Q: Did the Africans of Paris accept you easily?

Vincent: This series was made for the European House of Photography in Paris. It is a bit like the grail of the photographer. I was on display in the Irving Penn room, my hero. For the occasion, I immersed myself in the Château Rouge metro district in Paris. The meeting with the Congolese sappers was the trigger, magnificent dandies who claim the art of loving each other. Sapology is a fascinating story that is part of the history of the Congo. I was greeted by the "Bachelor" who became a friend, and his Sape and Co store became my studio. I stayed there for whole days, a whole summer, to absorb their life, and the daily life of this little piece of Africa. I liked the looks, the beauty of the faces and the color of the clothes and then their kindness despite hard lives. Outside the neighborhood, they told me that they were becoming invisible in the white world.

Q: Why do you take a lot of portraits?

Vincent: To approach others, to enter other universes, to enrich my life. When I photograph a subject, I spend time with the person, I connect with them, we create a bond together. We exchange and then naturally, I photograph. I like to drop the mask. I'm looking for a moment of truth between us. François Hebel, director of the Henri Cartier Bresson foundation, who was at the time director of the Arles photography meetings, had exposed me there in 2014 and had himself been my curator. When I discovered the exhibition, I had the impression of being in the presence of the subjects I had photographed.

Q: And how does Russia inspire you?

Vincent: I have been going there regularly since 1995. In some respects this country has changed a lot and in others not at all. A sixth of the planet, a neighbor of Europe, so close to us and yet few people are interested in it. You think the Russians are cold and closed, but it is one of the most hospitable countries that I know. My images represent the Russia of small hands, villages and extremes. From north to south going to the east among the Buryats. A fascinating journey and images that are part of my first photographer's book, "A trip to Russia"

[For more images, check out the photography section]

In February 2020 Vincent spent a day at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, an art school in the Montparnasse district of Paris. At that time it was announced that he was working on a photo book on models and muses. The photo below was taken that day with actress/opera singer Elise Maitre. [See January/February 2020 news for more photos]

31 December 2020

It must be that age has caught up with me because I just discovered that I neglected to post a photo gallery from April 2013 on the French Cinema Today Festival that took place in Almaty, Kazakhstan. You can view it at this link. Here's Vincent talking to the press.

The opening film at the festival was Vincent's romantic comedy "Un Prince presque Charmant", directed by Philippe Lellouche. Vincent had been a special guest at the Eurasia International Film Festival in Almaty the year before and was so fascinated by the audience that he promised to return. He kept his word and brought Lellouche with him the next year.

One of Vincent's newest projects in the works is a thriller that is presently titled "Elements of Fear". It's set at sea between a young couple and a stranger on a sailboat in the middle of the ocean off the Portuguese coast. Right away you have to think of the Australian 1989 thriller "Dead Calm". Apparently it was written by Vincent from an original idea and will be rewritten by Scottish screenwriter John Collee. It will be directed by Vincent and produced by Jeremy Thomas, who will partner with a French co-producer. Thomas founded Recorded Picture Company in 1974 and has since produced over sixty films, including Bernardo Bertolucci’s nine-time Academy Award-winner "The Last Emperor". He is seen in the photo below at last year's Rencontres 7e Art Lausanne. He's standing third from the right next to Vincent.

I've added more photos to last year's Rencontres gallery that include Vincent and his daughter Iman posing with singer Alexiane, who happens to be the daughter of a Franco-Senegalese father and a Quebec mother. The fourth photo shows Vincent's son Pablo with his mother.

Alexiane was also a guest at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2017 when "Hochelaga, Land of Souls" was screened. So adorable!

And finally, here's an undated photo by Carly Dame of Vincent's three children.

19 December 2020

France24.com has reported that Vincent hooked up this month with his friend Sarah Poniatowski for a photo shoot for her sunglasses ad. After Sarah divorced Marc Lavoine, she returned to her maiden name on social networks but kept the Lavoine name for her company Maison Sarah Lavoine. Offering a new range of sunglasses for both men and women, Sarah had to find the perfect partner to pose beside so she chose her long-time friend Vincent. The center photo below shows the two of them at a 2016 event.

Back in June, Vincent expressed the sentiments of his daughter Tess on racism saying he was proud of her support for George Floyd. That shouldn't come as a surprise since she is the daughter of a Franco-Senegalese mother. Vincent goes on to say that there is a serious need to change and denounce racism. Vincent adds that when Tess was born, an astrologer told him that all her planets were aligned and that she would succeed in anything she decides to do with her life. The more he sees her becoming a young woman, the more he believes in what the astrologer told him.

Yesterday was the 22nd wedding anniversary of Vincent and Karine and these photos were posted by Vincent with the caption - "I am the luckiest man to be able to share my life with you!".

As previously reported, in 2018 Vincent joined the cast of a Chinese film. Directed by Zheng Xiaolong, the film is an adaptation of Puccini's famous opera "Turandot". Set in China, it tells the story of Prince Calaf, who falls in love with the cold-hearted Princess Turandot. The prince must solve three riddles in order to marry her, with a single wrong answer punishable by death. The film remains in post-production and has been re-titled THE CURSE OF TURANDOT. In August the producers released three teaser posters showing giant bracelets of different colors circling ominously above a castle, demonstrating the production's magical and fantasy elements and a looming empire war. The film's cast also includes Guan Xiaotong, Jiang Wen, Hu Jun, Dylan Sprouse and Sophie Marceau. An official release date has yet to be announced.

In September, Vincent was in Switzerland at a special event for Scabal's, the Belgium textile company. In this photo, he poses with Eric Becker, head of Scabal Geneva. Vincent appears so much older but very distinguished.

Blast from the Past - At the French Film Trophies event in January 1994 in Paris looking so young and debonair. Not all men can wear long hair and look gorgeous. He caught my eye for the first time 22 years ago in the HBO film "Shot Through the Heart".

08 November 2020

At the moment, it's a quiet time in Vincent's public life so there isn't much to report. I'm sure he's keeping busy in his usual creative manner. Considering this lull, I have reached into my extensive files I've kept over the past 20 years. Today I've posted a gallery on a Disneyland Paris visit that Vincent made with his mother, brother, sister-in-law and their three children back in February 1997.

On June 25, 1996, Vincent attended the 6th annual BAFTA awards at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. I have no information as to why he attended this event.

Every October Vincent and Karine attend the Grand Lyon Film Festival. Previously I had only these first two photos from Lumière 2017. On Saturday, October 21, the House of Books, Pictures and Sound hosted a master class with Vincent when he presented his photography book, "Un Voyage en Russie".

These new photos show the pair participating in Radio Lumière, the festival's radio station.

On October 17th during the festival, Vincent was invited for an open conversation at the Maison du livre, de l’image et du son of Villeurbanne. The event was called - "Vincent Perez: Confessions of a Voyager". It was said that the actor came to meet his audience with an open spirit and zero pretense.

Vincent spoke on several topics including these three:

On Vocation: "As a child, I spent my days drawing and playing soccer. A little later in school, I started the theater, directing my classmates in plays. At age 14, I acted in my first play. At the end of the show, I thought I was going to be yelled at. In fact, everyone congratulated me, and I knew I was going exactly in the right direction! I applied to the Conservatory of Geneva and then moved to Paris at age 17 to attend the Conservatory there: it was amazing to meet people who had the same passion I did."

On Patrice Chéreau: "I started working with Patrice Chéreau when I was a third-year student at the Conservatory of Dramatic Arts in Paris. It was extraordinary to film with him. He’s someone who pushed you to go beyond your comfort zone. He was my mentor, a master who helped me gain recognition. He had an incredible work ethic - Patrice never took vacations. My work with him helped define my approach to certain characters I played. Moreover, he also had me work a lot on my humor, especially for the character of Serge in 'Hotel de France'."

The above photo shows Bruno Todeschini, Laurent Grévill, Isabelle Renauld, Patrice and Vincent at the Théâtre des Amandiers in 1987.

On "Cyrano de Bergerac": "Filming 'Cyrano de Bergerac' was a tour de force for everyone: Jean-Paul Rappeneau was at the height of his glory. There were phenomenal actors like Gérard Depardieu and Anne Brochet and a role for me that corresponded well with the work I’d done with Patrice Chéreau. I have never experienced that since the film! And then, when one works with an actor like Depardieu, with a character that suits him so well... It was incredible. I was so impressed. To act with him, you have to let go. You cannot hide yourself away. Gérard lifts you up. He supports you." [Depardieu is the father of Karine's oldest daughter Roxanne]

05 November 2020

Vincent's daughter Iman was featured in UK's Daily Mail on October 28th. They wrote - "Daughter of Swiss actor Vincent Perez and Senegalese model-actress Karine Silla, Iman Perez inherited her parents' good looks and ease in front of the camera. The 21-year-old is represented by Next Model Management and has already bagged campaigns with Hermes and Zadig & Voltaire. Away from modeling, Iman is an accomplished equestrian. She made her debut into society at the 2015 Bal des Débutantes. Before the pandemic struck, the model spent her time criss-crossing between Paris and New York, which she described as her 'second home'. Grounded in France for the foreseeable, Iman headed south to Saint Tropez over the summer but is now back in the city." The following two photos were included.

Iman also recently modeled for Harper's Bazaar in a photo shoot highlighting Louis Vuitton's Stellar Times High Jewelry Collection designed by Francesca Amfitheatrof. Love the first one!

For those who are not familiar with Iman's mother, Karine Silla, here is a mini-biography. She was born in 1965 in Dakar to a Catholic-French mother and a Muslim-Senegalese father, who was a United Nations diplomat. Karine lived most of her childhood and adolescence in Paris. She had a passion for dancing that was cut short in her teen years due to a knee injury. On her 18th birthday, she crossed the pond to take up modeling in New York. She then returned to Paris working as an actress and later became a screenwriter and director. In 2014 her first book was published called "Monsier et Mort". That was followed by "Autour du soleil" in 2016, "L’absente de Noël in 2017, and her fourth novel "Aline et les hommes" was published in August.

This last novel is biographical following a childhood memory. Her father had told her the story of this brave woman named Aline Sitoé Diatta, who was born in 1920 in the south of Senegal and became an icon of resistance against colonialism. Writing this story took three years, required a lot of research and was a plunge into the heart of her own origins. The first photo is from French Vogue magazine.

Flashback to 1989 - Vincent with Jacqueline Bisset at a London Party.

18 October 2020

What a crazy year this has been with this horrid pandemic! It's been months since Vincent has shown his face but I do have an update today. Lo and behold, the organizers of the Lumière Festival, which takes place every October in Lyon, France, decided to hold their annual film event. This comes as a surprise since France is presently experiencing a dangerous surge. Yesterday the health ministry reported more than 32,000 new confirmed cases of Covid-19, the highest single-day tally since the start of the pandemic. A 9 pm to 6 am curfew has been issued in the Paris region and eight other large cities, affecting nearly a third of the country's population. At least most folks in the audience are wearing masks but, unfortunately, there's no social distancing in place.

Created in 2009 by the Institut Lumière, the festival has become one of the largest international festivals of classic cinema. This major 10-day festival involves 60 sites spread across Greater Lyon, including retrospectives and tributes presented by actors, filmmakers, etc. The program features major international classics with restored copies of everything from early silent movies to recent films. The 2020 Prix Lumière will be awarded at a gala ceremony to the Belgian directing brothers, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, as recognition of their entire career.

The following photos were taken on Friday, October 16th. Note that Vincent is wearing brown, not his usual black. That loose tie (now fashionable) spoils the perfect look.