NEWS:  MAY/JUNE 2015

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From today's NY Times: Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France — "No naked bathing," reads a sign on the beach here on the French Riviera. Nudity wasn’t always forbidden in these parts. In the 1930s, Le Corbusier would sunbathe and swim naked here (he drowned during his morning dip in 1965). He also painted in the flesh, and covered the walls of a nearby Modernist villa, E1027, with eight of his murals. It caused a huge dispute between two of the 20th century’s greatest designers. The murals were charged with provocative sexual imagery. The house wasn’t his, but had been created by the aristocratic Irish designer Eileen Gray with advice from her lover Jean Badovici. Gray, who was bisexual, apparently never forgave Le Corbusier for "defacing" her walls. The argument is still dissected in architecture circles, and is a central theme of THE PRICE OF DESIRE, a film about Gray’s life to be released in the fall.

Here are a couple more photos taken this month at Vincent's photography exhibition in Lyon.

French newspaper Le Progrès published an interview this week with Vincent regarding his photography exhibition in Lyon. Vincent explained how he studied photography at fifteen at the Vevey photography school in Switzerland. He attended class twice a week and it signaled his first introduction to the world outside of the family setting. After two years he turned to the theater studying with Patrice Chéreau, who later cast him in three of his films. It was on the set of "Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train" that the photography bug bit him once more. Vincent began taking self-portraits in his transvestite role as Viviane.

He claims to be a "very classic" photographer admiring the works of Richard Avedon and Irving Penn. He points to a turning point with the photo of Jérôme Le Banneur, a champion kickboxer holding his dog. He says he was at a crossroads and with this picture, he took a direction that suited him. It reminded him of Avedon.

When asked why he does mostly portraits, Vincent replied, "What interests me is that moment of sharing, which is created at the time the picture is taken. There is this notion of exchange... When I was at Arles, alone with this great wall of faces, I felt the presence of all my subjects as if they were watching me. It was quite disturbing."

There is a short video of Vincent on the Le Progrès web site, which you can access by clicking on the photo below.

The Institute Lumiére in Lyon is presenting an exhibition of Vincent's photography of portraits and self-portraits from June 3 to July 26, 2015. The show is presented in collaboration with the cinema gallery and Month of Photography in Lyon. Portraits include several of Vincent's friends - Johnny Hallyday, Gerard Depardieu, Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi and a series of self-portraits. Just back from shooting his film, Vincent will be a guest on June 10 (his birthday) at 7 pm. The discussion will be led by Theirry Frémaux followed by a screening at 9:00 of "Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train". Admission is free with the purchase of a cinema ticket.

From Bochum, the ALONE IN BERLIN production team moved west to Moers for three days of filming. Shooting took place at the old prison building. The only celebrity seen around town besides the director appeared to be a none-too-happy Emma Thompson.

23 years ago...

On Thursday the production team for ALONE IN BERLIN was filming in Bochum, Germany, northeast of Dusseldorf. The courtyard of the City Hall was transformed into a movie set. Producer Stefan Arndt said he regretted that the City Hall could not be included because it would be too difficult to stage it in a 40s environment. The production team included about 150 people. Often the team was idle because the sun was shining too often. Arndt said, "We need clouds, more suitable for gloom." The shooting lasted hours though the result on the screen will be a maximum of one minute. A break was taken for these photos. The description of the first photo reads: The director (back right), the two main characters Emma Thompson (front, right) and Brendan Gleeson (front, center), the producer Stefan Arndt (front, left) and Uwe Schott (rear, center) and Alison Thompson from world sales Cornerstone.

Yesterday some of Vincent's family were photographed at the premiere of "Jurassic World" at the UGC Normandie in Paris. That's 16-year-old Iman in the blue dress with her mother and 12-year-old Pablo to the right. He was mistakenly identified as his twin sister, Tess. Love that hair! The boy on the left was a guest.

The film crew for ALONE IN BERLIN finished up in Görlitz on May 11 and were supposedly headed to Berlin and Cologne to continue filming. The director's chair was left behind to be auctioned off at a later time to benefit a children's charity - the Jahn School. The linen chair was signed by Vincent and several cast members.

This photos below of father and daughter were taken in the past 24 hours but I'm not sure where.

The 2015 Cannes Film Market with its 12,000 participants this year is an event where filmmakers attempt to find international distribution. On May 14th Little Film Company showed scenes from THE PRICE OF DESIRE. Note that the film was not actually screened. A summer launch is planned theatrically in Ireland with more territories to follow.

Filming ALONE IN BERLIN continues in Görlitz, Germany. An article was published yesterday by the German press along with some new photos. A scene was being shot of Emma Thompson running down the street with her brown hat askew on her head, pinching a leather bag under her arm. If one catches a glimpse of the cordoned-off location around the old factory, it feels as if the 40s have been restored. Along the road are cars of that period as well as Hitler Youth posters and a shoe store whose windows are decorated with swastika pennants. Dozens of extras dressed in period costume await their next assignment.

Producer Stefan Arndt explains, "The most important key scenes are filmed in Görlitz. The home of the Quangels (played by Emma Thompson and Brendan Gleeson), the main location for the film, is at Emmerich Straße 40. It is a vacant multi-family house that has been outfitted with furniture in the style of the 40s. Arndt says, "Everything here is incredibly authentic". This includes the historic facades and the old pavement.

Because the city has been used in several movies, it has adopted the name "Görliwood". Vincent professes to be a fan of the name. "I've even bought a T-shirt with the words," he says, waxing lyrical about the fantastic scenery and the relaxed atmosphere of the city.

The cast and crew will remain in the city until May 12 and then further filming will take place in Berlin and Cologne. Filming should end in early June with a theatrical release expected in the middle of next year.