Back in March, the organizers
of the Rencontres 7e Art Lausanne made the decision to cancel
its 3rd edition, scheduled for March 4 to 8. As an alternative, a
selection of masterpieces with a romantic theme will be presented in
partnership with Pathé Lausanne cinemas from June 24 to July 16,
2020.
In an interview with
Switzerland's Le Temps last week, Vincent was asked how he felt when
the March festival was canceled. He responded:
"It was a stressful time, but
from the time we canceled, it was a relief. If gatherings greater
than 100 people had been prohibited during the festival, we would
have ended up with all our guests not knowing what to do. In the
end, it was up to me to make this decision, but I wanted to do it in
good understanding, especially with our sponsors, even if, at that
time, our guests wanted to come. Fortunately, we were able to count
on our partners."
Le Temps: So part of the
programming will indeed exist…
Vincent: I am happy because we had really put together a nice
program. In the last three months, with all that has happened in the
world, but also with the emergence of important debates, in
particular with this new awareness of the existence of racism, new
questions have arisen. While remaining with the theme of love
stories, we have therefore added a few films, such as "The Mirage of
Life" by Douglas Sirk, a sumptuous film which speaks to me
intimately since my children have African blood. We are going to
show the works of very great directors, including several films by
Billy Wilder and also "Breakfast at Tiffany's" by Blake Edwards, who
had this gift of transforming serious subjects into comedy.
Le Temps: How did you
experience the confinement spent in France with your family?
Vincent: I was very prolific:
I had two scenarios to render, which I did. I am currently casting
three films, two that I direct and a third one which I am actor and
producer and for which one seeks a director. There remains the great
difficulty of projecting into the future. As a reader, when I
receive a script, for example, I have a lot of trouble getting into
a story today, because I don't know where it will lead me. We’re
talking about a traffic jam when all the filming starts again, but
we don’t really know how it’s going to happen. For the rest, we were
fortunate with my family to live this period of confinement and
introspection in a completely pleasant way compared to all the
people who really suffered. And no one in our inner circle has been
affected by the disease. It was an interesting period compared to
the way we look at the world, to the necessary questions. What
should I change in my life? Is it worth running all the time? Is
this stress with which we have become accustomed to living really
necessary to move forward?
Le Temps: In one way or
another, should the fictions of tomorrow take into account this
global crisis?
Vincent: How will the stories we are working on be affected by what
we have experienced? This is a question I ask myself. When we write,
we have antennas. We try to feel what is happening to perceive the
mutations of our cultures and human relationships. A film is strong
from the moment it tells the story of the world at a specific time.
The other evening, I saw "Full Metal Jacket", which was on TV. Even
if it was made in the 1980s and talks about the Vietnam War, it
talks about our relationship to the war and its absurdity. The great
classics have stood the test of time and continue to resonate. |