NEWS: JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 |

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20 February 2017 |
I've added a few more photos
to the MEP section showing Vincent's photography exhibition.
Catherine Schwaab of Paris Match attended the opening on Tuesday
night. She wrote, "It was the Congolese sappers, his models, who set
the mood. Elegant and cheerful, in multicolored costumes, they
dressed Vincent with a lurex jacket for him to pose with them. No
way of staying gray, my friend!"

Vincent pointed out that
Africans are actually less inhibited in front of a photographer. Ms.
Schwaab said the portraits were affordable - 5000 euros for small
formats and 8000 for large ones. At the end of the night, everyone,
Chinese, French and Africans, dined at a nearby restaurant.
Artscape.fr wrote that
Vincent, influenced by Martin Parr and his use of the circular flash
in spite of the full sun, captures portraits with a slight blur -
almost like a painting - representing girls and sappers who have an
identity, a role. Vincent said, "I did not want staged pictures but
images sketched in the daily life of the onlookers and locals.
Fortuitous, sudden, hazardous encounters. A few seconds clipped from
their day."
The second section of the
exhibition shows portraits of Russians. Vincent said, "Today their
life is complex, divided between a need for individual emancipation
and a restraint deeply linked to the history of the country."
Artscape summed up the exhibition with "Questioning the creative
process at the borders of destruction and identity issues is at the
heart of this striking photographic journey."
On the Mowwgli web site, Dominique Vautrin wrote, "If you pass by
the MEP before April 9, do not miss the exhibition on the third
floor called 'Identités' by
Vincent Perez. Divided into two parts are 'The Parisians' and 'The
Russians'. His portraits are identified as encounters... One stops
instantly on the strength and dignity that emerge from these
different portraits. The neutrality, the smile or the hardness of
the person arouses in us an intriguing and emphatic dimension... The
beauty of the colors that emanates from the sun shines on the
classical scenography of the exhibition. The walls are gray and
mauve light, all in a well-lit environment. Unfortunately, there is
a shortage in the second room for Russian portraits, but that does
not prevent us from seeing something tender in the eyes of these
veterans of work. The photographic technique is impeccable and the
framing of the prints avoids the reflection. This exhibition could
have been called 'Identity, Humanity'. Vincent Perez is a worthy
actor of contemporary photography."
Michèle Warnet of Les Echos
wrote, "In the boxes, all ticked by Vincent Perez, actor,
screenwriter, director, we must add that of photographer,
accomplished portraitist... His photographs express the strong
individuality of his subjects. A portraiture that tracks pure
expression, 'when the mask falls'. In the flash of the flash, if
need be. More than faces, Vincent Perez seizes slices of life in a
frontal and benevolent way. A quest that draws its source in the
exercise of cinematographic realization. 'Actor, director,
photographer... it's the same way for me, the same gesture. It's a
way of getting into the lives of others,' Vincent says simply in the
form of a key to the creative energy that animates him."
There's a Chinese interview with
Vincent in French that you can view at this
youtube link.


Here's an ensemble photo from the
upcoming film
CHACUN SA VIE:


I discovered this youtube
video that was recorded on December 3, 2016 when Vincent was in
Lausanne, Switzerland attending an advance premiere of
ALONE IN BERLIN at Cinéma
Capitole. It runs about 43 minutes and begins with an introduction
to the film and during this time his 14-year-old daughter Tess comes
up on the stage to join him and sings this lovely song while her
proud father looks on. Very sweet! Click on the photo below to view
the video.

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08 February 2017 |
Paris - Maison Européenne
de la Photographie - Vincent Perez - Identités
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06 February 2017 |
Fourteen-year-old Tess
appears to be following her older sister Iman into the fashion
industry. Here she is modeling clothes for Juliette Swilden's
teen collection for Spring-Summer 2017. If you click on the photo
below, the link will feature more of her photos.
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03 February 2017 |
Both
the trailer and poster for
CHACUN SA VIE (Everyone's Life) have been released in the past
week. Because Vincent has a minor role in the Claude Lelouth comedy,
he is neither shown in the trailer nor the poster. Boo-hoo. The synopsis
remains unclear but there's obviously several stories being told
about life, love and divorce. Among the huge cast of French
celebrities is Johnny Hallyday, Jean Dujardin, Mathilde Seigner and
Christopher Lambert. The film was shot last July in Beaune and will be released in French theaters on March 15, 2017.

Here are some new additions to
the B&W photo gallery plus I added over 25 new photos to the Lumiere
Film Festival galleries.
    

The Sedona International Film Festival
will be screening ALONE IN BERLIN at the
Mary D. Fisher Theatre from February 3-9. Show
times will be 7 p.m. on Friday, Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 3, 6
and 7; and 4 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 8 and 9.
Here's a new film production photo of Vincent
full engaged in the throes of directing back in the spring of 2015.
A man of many talents.

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01 February 2017 |
The Maison Européenne de la Photographie
is now closed as they prepare for their next exhibition, which runs
from February 8 through April 9. The MEP is a major center for
contemporary photographic art and, obviously, Vincent must feel very
excited and certainly honored for the chance to participate in this
prestigious exhibition.

Besides his photography, the
MEP will also present a selection of films by Vincent. For more
information on dates and times,
visit this link.
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27 January 2017 |
Today I have added a
photo gallery of
Vincent's recent trip to the Republic of Buryatia, located just
north of Mongolia. In a Russian interview he joked about his
appearance in that he didn't look like his normal movie-star self
but rather went for a relaxed look and dressed warmly for the frigid
temps. Don't you love his fur Russian hat! When asked what impressed
him the most during his trip, he said he will remember the
experience of visiting the Ivolginsky Datsan, a Buddhist temple and
the Hambo Lama Itigelov, who is called The Living Dead Buddhist
Monk, best known for the lifelike state of his dead body, which
hasn't been subject to macroscopic decay since his death in 1927.


Vincent's daughter IMAN
was back on the catwalk this month. On January 25 she was featured
in Jean Paul Gaultier's new haute couture collection for
Spring/Summer 2017. The four smaller pics were taken backstage. She's adorable!
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26 January 2017 |
Some photos have surfaced
today from opening night at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival where
ALONE IN BERLIN was screened. To
view them, follow this link. In a
recent interview about his film, Vincent shared his thoughts on the
question of modern-day parallels regarding the increasing prevalence
of authoritarian figures and governments in the West. He responded:
"When I meet people after
the screenings, there’s always a moment when someone’s asking me
that question. I think it’s great. I think it’s accurate. It’s
something everybody has in mind, that the extremes are rising up
all over the world. We have a very short memory. A tendency to
forget. It’s important to tell again these kinds of stories.
Yes, we have to be careful. Yes, it’s always there, it’s in the
soil somewhere, it’s part of who we are, the extremes. It comes
from years of frustration, years of humiliation, that’s what
creates the soil for extremism. I think we have to go back to
why this is happening, and why it is happening again. I think
the movie questions that. I think that’s maybe one reason this
movie was made, it’s just a way to question people. It’s a way
for people, coming out of the screening, to think about it. It
says what Barack Obama said in his [farewell] speech, when he
said you can change things, don’t wait for others to change it.
You have to start with yourself. That’s exactly what the
Quangels were doing. At the end of the film, they’re not
victims, they were winning. They were right. The future wasn’t
with the Nazis, it was with people like them."

Each year the Political
Film Society of Hollywood, CA awards films that
best promote political consciousness in
four categories - democracy,
exposé, human rights, and peace. The Society has
nominated ALONE IN BERLIN for best
film exposé and best film on human rights of 2017. In early
2018, members of the Political Film Society will
vote and winners will be announced
by March 1, 2018.
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25 January 2017 |
Last night was the opening of
the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival.
ALONE IN BERLIN was screened as the Opening Night event at
the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. A pre-show reception was
held as well as a Q&A following the film. Vincent was in attendance.
Possibly more photos will show up by the end of the day. The last
photo was posted by Vincent himself. Unusual angle...
In the US, you can rent the
film through the following services:

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12 January 2017 |
DALIDA,
the ambitious biopic depicting the rise and fall of famed
Egyptian-born Italian-French singer
Yolanda Cristina Gigliotti, ranks as one of 2017’s most anticipated
films in France. Co-produced, distributed and sold by Pathe, the
film bowed in France yesterday and is having its premiere at the opening
night of UniFrance Rendez-Vous with French Cinema in Paris, which
kicks off tonight. Lisa Azuelos wrote, directed and produced the
film, which took five years to get made. Since unveiling the promo
reel in Cannes, Pathe has already pre-sold the film in Benelux,
Bulgaria, Canada, Ex-Yugoslavia, Greece, Italy, Middle East,
Morocco, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Switzerland, Tunisia and
Turkey.
Victoria Gairin
of Le Point says that 32-year-old Sveva Alviti does not embody
Dalida. She is Dalida! This is what Ms. Azuelos was looking for when
she began casting. After three months, the director had seen a
hundred girls and still had not found her star until she discovered
Sveva Alviti. Ms. Gairin agrees and writes, "The result is amazing.
Same sculptural silhouette, even natural elegance, same glance of
embers, even melancholy.
Besides Vincent in the role of
producer Eddie Barclay, the film's cast includes Niels Schneider,
Michael Cohen, Jean-Paul Rouve and Patrick Timsit. The critiques
appear to be quite decent and the film should bring in some
excellent revenue.


Accompanied by writer Oliver
Rolin, Vincent has finished his photo trip to Ulan-Ude
and is on his way back to France. During this week in the republic
of Buryatia, he visited a Hun settlement, the Ethnographic Museum
and Ivilginski temple. He also attended an impromptu mini-concert at
the Buryat Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. Soloists Olga
Zhigmitova and Mikhail Pirogov performed an aria from the opera
"Carmen" and "Samson and Delilah". Olga told the press Vincent was
delighted and that they were impressed by his openness and
sincerity. At the theatre Vincent also took some photos of the
ballet rehearsal of "The Nutcracker".
The photos below show him with
fellow actors on a film set. He had expressed a desire to visit a
production studio to view their filming process. The press noted
that, as usual, Vincent did not use his stardom status, but rather
considered himself equal among the actors.
The local
shamans also held a traditional ceremony, supposedly a rite that
would give Vincent a long life. Details were not disclosed but
the shamans presented him with a bronze sculpture of a rider.
Interesting... And last, here's a sample of one of Vincent's
photos taken on this trip. C'est très
beau!


Though
Vincent filmed his scenes in November for Roman Polanski's
D'APRÈS
UNE HISTOIRE VRAIE (Based on a True Story), production
continues this week in Paris. The film, which stars Roman's wife,
Emmanuelle Seigner, and Eva Green, is slated for a 2018 release.
Called a "Hitchcockian romance" tinged with a pinch of Stephen King,
the script, based on the book by Delphine de Vigan, was written by
Olivier Assayas, one of the most talented filmmakers of contemporary
cinema. As a former critic for Cahiers du Cinema and a die-hard
cinephile, he makes his films both personal and referential to the
works of directors that he adores.
The
psychological thriller provides intense reflection on reality and
fiction. It revolves around a novelist named Delphine (Seigner) who
becomes uncomfortable with overnight fame following the success of
her latest publication. A strange and dangerous admirer named L
(Green) bursts into her life and gradually takes control of it. The
neurotic Eva Green is well cast and the material sounds perfect for
Polanski, a master of paranoia. Vincent plays Delphine's companion,
Francois. |
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06 January
2017 |
In
a recent interview, Vincent discussed his upcoming film,
DALIDA, which will open in French
theaters on Wednesday. He recalled Dalida's songs from his childhood
and how they remain mythical. He said, "Her music was powerful and
she is part of the cultural heritage of France, Europe and even a
little further." Before filming, he said he knew a little about her
career and had a vague memory of her tormented relationships with
men, which often ended tragically. He said that Dalida was a woman
who sought love and could not find it and that director Lisa Azuelos
has managed to tell the story without the egocentricity of pain.
Vincent's memories are now mixed with images from the film. He said,
"During the screening at the Olympia in front of a packed house, it
was as if she had been revived on stage. It was pretty incredible. I
sat next to her brother Orlando, and he cried several times."
As far as his role as producer
Eddie Barclay, he said, "He was a very charismatic character.
The career of Eddie Barclay is hallucinating. He
really held the reins of the musical world for many years...
It was a chance for me to be able to embody that, and I had a lot of
fun. Curiously, it came quite naturally."

This week Vincent is back in
Russia in the role of the photographer. This time he's traveled
quite far to the East, actually north of Mongolia, to
Ulan-Ude in the republic of
Buryatia. Here he is looking as if he's arrived
in no man's land!
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01 January
2017 |
Exciting news for 2017!
Vincent's next exhibition of his photographic work will be featured
at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie from February 8
through April 9. The MEP, located in the historic heart of Paris, is
a major center for contemporary photographic art.
His statement describing his
exposition called "Identités"
is as follows:
"I am Swiss,
a child of emigrants, with a Spanish father and a German mother.
France is the country where I have lived most. My wife was born
in Dakar to a Breton mother and a Senegalese father. Our
children are a mixture of these five countries. They feel French
and Senegalese. Me, I do not know. I am this cultural mix. I
feel European. I feel a citizen of the world.
But what is my cultural identity? I envy those who are attached
to a clear and strong belonging and at the same time I like to
be outside of everything, as if it has allowed me to immerse
myself and naturally absorb our differences. When Jean-Luc
Monterosso did me the honor of inviting me to the European House
of Photography, I decided to accomplish a work done for this
occasion around the theme of identity. "
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