NEWS:  OCTOBER 2014

Home | Latest News | Biography | Filmography | Theatre | Articles/Interviews | Gallery

Vincent has chosen his jury for the Honfleur Film Festival and one name should be familiar - Fred Cavayé, Dominique Fernandez, Amanda Sthers and Karine Silla. Yes, his wife! She continues to do book signings and participated this week in the third Rendez-vous des écrivains a cartonné. The series of photos below were taken in conjunction with publicity for her book, "Monsieur est mort". I'm not sure Vincent was there accompanying his wife or as a participant.

A private screening of THE PRICE OF DESIRE was hosted by De Lorenzo Gallery in NYC on October 14th. In attendance were its director and cast member Orly Brady. The small audience at the Tribeca Cinemas was limited to Eileen Gray collectors. A penny for their thoughts! Prior to the screening, a limited edition box set of portraits of the cast in character by Julian Lennon was also unveiled by Sandra Gering Gallery for "friends of e1027" on behalf of Stoney Road Press. The film made news earlier this month when the Irish Film Board-funded movie became involved in a legal spat. Apparently, director Mary McGuckian is being asked to pay back a €250,000 loan. There is no official release date yet though we know it won't be in theaters this year. Here are some portraits of Vincent as Le Corbusier. The photo in the upper left-hand corner was taken at the opening and shows Ms. Brady with Vincent's portrait hanging on the wall to her right.

On October 16th Vincent attended the opening of the exhibition, "Kaleidoscopic India", sponsored by Guerlain, one of the oldest perfume houses in the world. India was chosen in tribute to the legendary perfume Shalimar with an exhibition by Indian contemporary artists such as Jitish Kallat, Shilpa Gupta, and Atul Dodiya.

Vincent also attended the 41st International Fair of Contemporary Art (FIAC) this week. He is photographed below with his wife Karine, Anne Consigny and Éric de Chassey.

It was announced this week that Vincent will preside over the jury for the upcoming 22nd edition of the Russian Film Festival in Honfleur, a picturesque port city in northwestern France. This event reinforces the exisiting links between Russia and France. Russian films subtitled in French are divided into six categories: the competition before the jury, a panorama, a retrospective of great classics of Russian cinema, cartoons and children's films, documentaries and short films. The documentaries section will be devoted to the work of Galina Dolmatovskaya. The festival will run from November 25-30.

Passionate about Russian culture, Vincent comes with his own experience of their cinema having worked three times with Russian filmmakers. In 1996, he starred in "Ligne de vie" directed by Pavel Lungin, in 2007 he starred in "Apocalypse Code" directed by Vadim Shmelev, and earlier this year, he was in the comedy, "Kitchen in Paris" directed by Dmitri Diatchenko. (Note: "Kitchen in Paris" will be screened with English subtitles at the Russian Film Festival at the Autralian Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne on November 15 & 21, 2014.)

In an interview published this week, Vincent was asked about his attraction to Russia. He responded, "Some Russians have influenced me at crucial moments in my life, especially in my decision to become an actor. I was 15 or 16 years old when I read Stanislavski's book on acting because I was interested in actors, the Actors Studio and the Strasberg method that was inspired by the Russian director. It was a revelation and Stanislavski became a sort of mentor for me. Naturally this led me to the theater and to the works of Anton Chekhov. He was one of the first writers I became familiar with when I was at the Academy. I played Sergei Voïnitsov in 'Platonov'." Below is a photo of that production in 1987.

Vincent then spoke about working with Pavel Lungin in 1995. "When I arrived in Russia, it was an amazing time. Moscow was re-organizing. I was in the middle of this crazy world like Chicago of the 30s. I discovered that the film was co-produced by the Chechen mafia. There were times when I found myself in difficult situations, even dangerous, but it did not affect my passion for Russia. Everything in this country always exceeds what one might imagine. There is something that touches me deeply with the Russians... It must be said that France is not represented in a strong way in Russia right now. Indeed, apart from the film by Pavel Lungin, the Russian films I did are not great, but it was a great experience, an opportunity to immerse in their culture."

He continued, "The Russians have not yet fully grasped the international language of film, perspective scenarios. They dream of action cinema and they will soon get there, but it's true that for the moment  Russian film excels in movies like Andrei Zvyagintsev's "Leviathan", which is just sublime. And if you look at the other films of this director, they are faultless - 'The Return' (2003), 'The Banishment' (2007).  I loved 'Elena' (2011). For me, he is the greatest Russian filmmaker of the new generation. Pavel Chukhrai's films are also excellent and it's a shame they are not exported. Personally, I would like to see the movies of Alexei German, but they are not subtitled."

As president of the jury, Vincent says, "I expect to see films and friends. I'm trying to assemble a jury that has influence in French society. I want to let it be known that we need to stop with the clichés. I support the Honfleur Festival because it is also a way to communicate about this wonderful culture. Whenever I have the opportunity to do something with Russia, I take it."

On recommended Russian films, Vincent shares, "Of course, Andrei Zvyagintsev's 'Leviathan', currently released in theaters in France. But I would point out that the history of Russian cinema is phenomenal. Everyone knows about Andrei Tarkovsky, but there is also Elem Klimov, who nobody knows here. His film "Requiem pour un massacre" (1985) is one of the greatest films in the history of film. It's my favorite movie. I would also recommend seeing The Island' (2006) by Pavel Lungin and 'The Ballad of the Soldier' (1959) by Grigoriy Chukhrai. Those who have not had the courage to read 'War and Peace' by Leo Tolstoy must see the amazing epic film (1996) by Sergei Bondarchuk."

According to UK's Cent Magazine, Vincent will showcase his photography at the Monte Carlo Gallery from November 7 to December 7, 2014. The exhibition is entitled "Les ballets du Bolshoi". The following description is given - "The Monte Carlo exhibition showcases a stunning insight into how he prepares his work with the deep care and magic which shows the symphonic harmony between the dancers. The swaying of tutus, and fluidity in their movement is just some of the beautiful elements seen in these portraits, in particularly the photos showing the dancers imbricate one with the other, creating an animated scenery. Perez explains that he speared this exhibition towards three themes, one of which being the thought on masculinity and feminity. Famous figures of dancers are seen in the pictures as well as a look on the backstage, shooting the artist in their private moments. Encapsulating the movement, evolution and variety within The Dance, Perez manages to capture the dancers as they take of the flight."  The above photo is one of my favorites among his collection.

As reported previously, Vincent's sister-in-law, Virginie Silla-Besson and her family now live in the US but it appears that some of the Perez family will be visiting LA this week. Here are a few more photos of Vincent's children that were posted to Instagram. The first one shows Iman Perez with her cousin Thalia Besson taken maybe six or seven years ago. Aren't the twins adorable?
 

Two festivals in two different countries in the last three days! Yes, Vincent knows how to keep busy. I swear he never declines an invitation.  On the 12th he was back in his homeland attending the Kino Film Festival in Geneva. Vincent  spoke at the opening ceremony of his love for Russia - "The Russians have  a great heart, and Russian cinema is a genuine treasure-trove." Here are a few photos showing our man's passion for dancing, especially when he's around Russian women! More photos can be found at the Kino Festival gallery.

The following day he was back in France at the 6th edition of the Grand Lyon Lumière Festival attending  the opening ceremony in which actress Faye Dunaway was a guest of honor. To pay her homage, Arthur Penn's "Bonnie and Clyde" was screened before an audience of 5,000. The media reported, "The crowd was filled with the good and great of the French film industry from Letitia Casta to Nicole Garcia, Pierre Richard, Pierre Ange Le Pogam, Vincent Perez, Luc Jacquet and Julie Gaget." On Tuesday evening Vincent was on hand to present "L'Extravagant Mr. Deeds" (Mr. Deeds Goes to Town). The festival was celebrating the work of Frank Capra with a retrospective focusing on his most prolific period during the Hollywood Golden Age of the 1930s. With prolonged applause, Vincent introduced the film recalling the influence of Capra's work in his own life. A festival regular, Vincent said, "Lumière is the best film festival in the world." For more photos, check out the Lumière gallery. The above photo was used by the festival but I dislike it immensely.

I'm not sure of the date, but some time at the end of September, Vincent and his wife attended the opening of Peter Lindbergh's exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery in Paris. The German filmmaker is known as one of Vogue's most famous photographers but his work has also been featured in several international magazines. This exhibition features his work over the past 30 years. Back in 2011, I posted Vincent's participation in a photo shoot by Lindbergh for Vogue Italia. You can watch the video of the shoot at this link. So European... So beautiful...

The expression, "You have to go where the money is" seems to ring true these days for some members of Vincent's family. Personally, I would never leave Paris for LA but that's exactly what Virginie Silla-Besson has done though she readily admits, "Paris is the most beautiful city in the world". The Besson name should be familiar. And the Silla connection is she's Karine's sister and aunt to Vincent's children. EuropaCorp, the Paris-based producer founded by Luc Besson, has opened a Los Angeles office to focus on acquiring movies for North American distribution. Engaging his wife in his operations, Luc has made Virginie a producer for several of his films over the past dozen or so years.

In a recent interview, Virginie commented on how she and her sister experienced a nomadic childhood because of their parent's background. Their father was a Senegalese diplomat while their mother was a Breton physiotherapist. Because of their father's assignments, the family, which also included two boys, moved constantly - Chad, Gabon, Mali, Canada. Virginie was actually born in Canada in 1972 while Karine was born in Dakar seven years earlier. Summers were often spent in Brittany with their maternal grandparents. The sisters have remained close through the years. Virginie and Luc were married in Normandy on August 28, 2004. Together they have three children  - Talia (aka Thalia), age 13, Satine, age 11 and Mao, age 9. Both families have resided in the same building in Paris for several years so this move will definitely affect Vincent's wife and children.

On October 2 Vincent attended the inauguration of the new Clio Renault Espace at the motor show at the Parc des Expositions at Porte de Versailles in Paris. You'll note the photos of Vincent with Depardieu. For more photos, check out the Renault gallery.