This Thursday, October 17, the Jean Vigo Prize will be awarded, rewarding a French feature and short film since 1951. Last year, The River by Dominique Marchais and I saw the face of the devil by Julia Kowalski had respectively won the bet. If Julia Kowalski’s short met with certain success at festivals (grand prize at the Clermont-Ferrand festival), Dominique Marchais’ work, which attracted 35,000 spectators at the box office, struggled to meet its audience. But that is not the aim of this award which takes its name from the Nice director of Atalanta and of Zero Drivingdied at age 29 in 1934.
What makes this prize original is precisely that it crowns singularity. It’s not about honoring the best film of the year. This trophy is above all a promise for the future, a work of clearing, the bonus for an original route and a prototype cinema. “A work can have weaknesses. But it’s an incentive prize. It is not a film that is rewarded but the work of an author, of a director. underlines Anne Vaugeois, kingpin of the prize. Thus the first films of Resnais, Godard, Pialat were crowned. More recently, Alice Diop, Alain Guiraudie, Noémie Lvovsky and Bruno Dumont have also been.
Elia Suleiman in the spotlight
Long absent from the list, women now appear regularly. As a tribute to Agnès Varda who chaired the jury for a long time. “What has changed is that many women are directors and are successful,” tempers Anne Vaugeois, defending herself against any positive discrimination. ” On the other hand, she continues, there are a lot of sisterhood and women working together. I am surprised to discover in the credits the names of this filmmaker, writing for another. In the generation of thirty-somethings, there is a lot of respect, friendship and connection. I’m not sure they were that strong between the men. » In addition to the two prizes, an honorary Vigo is awarded to the Palestinian Elia Suleiman, whose tragicomic and burlesque work has elevated the cinematography of his country.
Prix Jean Vigo on October 17 at 7:30 p.m. To attend, reservation essential [email protected] within the limit of places available.
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