NEWS: SEPTEMBER 2010

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Vincent must have flown directly from Russia to Switzerland because after appearing at the Vladivostok Int'l Film Festival, he was soon attending the 6th annual French Film Festival of Helvetia (FFFH), held September 15-19 in Biel. If you click on the photo below, you can watch an interview with him.

Vincent was both the official sponsor of the festival as well as president of the jury. At its opening celebration with a cocktail party at the Hotel Elite, festival organizer Christian Kellenberger expressed his gratitude to Vincent for his participation. When the actor was asked how he was convinced to make time during his busy schedule,  he responded, "I always get many proposals of this kind, but what made me decide to come to Biel is Christian's passion. He is so sincere that you want to share it." Vincent also though that the selection of short films was the best he had ever seen. He added, "And I must confess that, despite the fact that I am Swiss, it is the first time I have visited this city. It is really charming with its lake and location."

This week Vincent was an honored guest at the 8th Vladivostok International Film Festival called "Pacific Meridian", whose goal is to present the cinema of the Asia Pacific region to Russia. The festival was held from September 11-17. You can view over 30 photos at the new gallery page. In case you're not up to snuff with your geography, Vladivostok is Russia's largest port city on the Pacific Ocean. Vincent was kept busy for two days visiting local tourist spots and promoting his film, DEMAIN DES L'AUBE. During his visit, he viewed the bridges that will connect Vladivostok and the Russian Island. He also feasted on some of the local food declaring they had the best scallops in the world. When presenting his film, he told the audience how he had once dreamed about living many lives when he was a child. While watching American films with James Dean, Marlon Brando or Gary Cooper, he would often imagine himself in their skin.

Vincent also plugged his wife's debut as a director, describing her film as the story of three women facing a crucial point in their lives. Rather than invent a new character for his role, he and Karine decided he would simply play himself. During the Q&A at the Hotel Hyundai, Vincent conveyed charm and warmth. He answered inquiries about his work with Catherine Deneuve, his favorite movies, parenting, photography, dance and his friendship with Gerard Depardieu, who was making an appearance later in the festival. He had nothing but praise for the famous French actor - "This person loves life and really enjoys it. He is a great actor. I think he is a genius. He is also good at cooking small stuffed chickens. And before he sends them to the oven, he  makes them dance!" Vincent also shared how his stepdaughter, Roxane Depardieu, is pursuing her higher studies in cinematography. Despite the fact that the press conference lasted three hours, Vincent willingly talked to the press, posed for photographers, joked and signed autographs graciously.

On a more personal note, Vincent spoke about his family. He related how Jean-Paul Rappeneau, director of "Cyrano de Bergerac" had given him advice upon the birth of his first child. He told Vincent that the most precious thing you can give your children is your time, not simply talking with them on the phone, but actually being with them. He admits that whenever he is with his children, they give him great happiness. He shared how he's been watching movies with his 11-year-old daughter Iman, who prefers those with Marilyn Monroe because of the beautiful dresses, and films like "Breakfast at Tiffany's".

On the subject of a happy marriage, he explained how Karine was originally a wonderful friend and how love can last longer when it's based on friendship. He admires her maternal skills as well as her cooking skills. He finished with, "We have almost 12 years together and I continue to admire her. Maybe this is why we stay together."

On Tuesday, September 7th, Paris hosted the Vogue Fashion Celebration Night 2010 on the prestigious Avenue Montaigne. For the occasion, Bonpoint, an upscale and trendy children's boutique, unveiled its Winter 2010 collection. Among the 800 guests were Vincent, who one might expect is interested in children's fashion as well. Wouldn't you love to have a peek into his children's closets! Apparently, Brad Pitt counts himself as a Bonpoint buyer as well. Back in February it was reported that he had done some Paris shopping with daughter Shiloh at the exclusive boutique and ended up purchasing $10,000 worth of clothing from the Boys Collection, no less! The four-year-old obviously continues to be quite the tomboy.

Earlier this month Vincent was featured on the French television program ""Retour aux sources" which traces the genealogy of famous persons. As an update to the 9/5 posting, Vincent spoke about the chance to research his family tree. "During the week of filming, I learned some incredible things about my grandparents. My grandfather was shot  during the Franco era when he was 25 years old. We were able to discover that before the execution, he wrote a letter before he died. He tried to convey his love for his wife and child in this message because he knew that they would read it. My dad did not know about the letter. It was his first time he felt the love of his father. And the first time I saw my father cry.

On my mother's side, I learned many interesting things. For example, not one person from her family was involved in the Nazi Party. It was a feat in that period. One of my uncles died in a camp in the gas chamber, although I do not have Jewish roots. This was an experimental gas room in 1942. Another of my uncles died at the age of 19 years old on the Russian front. I come from a family engaged in the cultivation of apples. I was even in the village where they lived and worked. On my father's side, many were engaged in growing oranges. My German grandfather was the first to start selling the oranges grown in Spain.

Here's a couple of cool photographs of Vincent - the one on the left was taken by photographer Nicolas Hidiro and the one on the right is from an IKKS ad. Last March it was announced that Vincent would be the new face of the IKKS label for men's clothing.

North American rights to Baltasar Kormákur’s latest thriller, “Inhale,”  have been bought up by IFC Films. Written by Walter Doty and John Claflin, the film will have its U.S. premiere at the Woodstock Film Festival on October 1st, before being available nationwide via IFC’s VOD network. The film will hit theaters in NYC October 22nd. The film stars Dermot Mulroney, Diane Kruger, Sam Shepard, Rosanna Arquette and Vincent. Mulroney and Kruger star as a married couple awaiting news of a donor for their daughter. With no donor in sight, and with their daughter’s health worsening, the couple take matters into their own hands, and reap the consequences of shady dealing. “I was pleased to know of IFC Films' interest in 'Inhale' and I am confident that they will do a great job getting the film to the general public,” said director Baltasar Kormákur in a statement. “My wish is that the film will captivate and thrill the audience as well as infuse an important discussion about a global problem that has remained under the radar and is largely denied by some Governments even though evidence shows differently.” Jonathan Sehring, President of IFC Entertainment added, “We are delighted to once again be working with such an accomplished director like Baltasar Kormákur. Audiences will love this edge-of-your-seat thriller as much as we do, and we are excited to be bringing “Inhale” to all of our platforms.” IFC Films has previously worked with Kormákur on the “Jar City.”  Kormákur will be attending a screening followed by a Q&A session at the festival.

Yesterday Vincent attended the funeral of French film director Alain Corneau, who was buried at the Pere Cachaise cemetary in Paris. Corneau, one of France's most well-known directors, who suffered from cancer, died at the age of 67 on August 30th. Throughout a career lasting more than 35 years, he directed many legends of French cinema, including Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu.

"Retour aux sources" ("Back to Basics") was broadcast on French television on September 1 with the first episode highlighting Vincent's family history. It was reported that his German mother was born in Bonn and through the discovery of new aunts, uncles and cousins, Vincent learned that during Germany's Third Reich, there were no family members connected to the Nazi Party. He said, "I am relieved. I have always buried my German side, claiming my roots with my Spanish surname."  He also discovered that his paternal grandfather was a victim of the Franco era, having been shot in Valencia for acts of resistance. Vincent visited the place of his execution. Apparently, the documentary helped find the letter his grandfather had written to his family just before he died, a letter which his father had never read. The chance to uncover the past was something Vincent had always had interest in so he welcomed the offer to do the documentary without compensation. He added, "To my surprise, my family jumped at the chance too."

The program was described as beautifully prepared, scripted and directed and was met with good reviews for quality television. However, the timing of it was a bit off with tough competition on other networks as well as being the evening before French schools opened. His German past also coincides with his next project. For the past five years, he had worked on adapting the book, "Seul dans Berlin" ("Alone in Berlin") by Hans Fallada, which recounts the lives of Germans from 1940 to 1944. Vincent calls it "a beautiful book written about the German resistance" and will direct it next summer. There are two trailers available for this documentary which can be found at these two links - kewego.fr and france2.fr.

Good news for DVD releases in the US and Canada! "Arn: The Knight Templar" (2007) will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on October 12th. Vincent plays Brother Guilbert who teaches Arn his weaponry skills in his early years. The synopsis reads as follows: Arn Magnussson is born in 1150 on Arnas farm in West Gothia in the western part of Sweden. He grows up to become an educated young man and a skilled swordsman. He meets Cecilia, the love of his life, but a cruel and jealous world forces them apart. Cecilia is imprisoned in a monastery and Arn is sent away as a Knight Templar to the Holy Land, where war is raging between Christians and Muslims. They both have to fight to survive, they have to learn how to confront evil and overcome physical hardship. Their painful separation causes their faith in God and his goodness to waver – though not their faith in each other and their confidence that they will one day be reunited. When Arn returns home, he has to fight for his love and what has become his life’s mission: to unite Sweden into one kingdom.