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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." |
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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]
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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.

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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".

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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]
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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.
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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.
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For
previous news & photos, visit the following pages:
2020: January/February,
March/April,
May-Sept
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
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