THE MYSTERY OF JACQUES AUDIARD
Documentary / France (2018)
If Jacques Audiard is an enigma, it is first and foremost because he seems to have reconciled the irreconcilable, with a flawless body of work situated at the crossroads of cinematic typologies that were thought to be antinomic.
He is both indebted to a long cinematic tradition and brings an innovative perspective to French film production. He has established himself as a highly consistent and award-winning auteur, while remaining a fervent advocate of genre cinema. He creates demanding yet highly accessible, even popular, films. Finally, Jacques Audiard is a filmmaker deeply rooted in French cinema, but whose influence is universal.
But if Jacques Audiard remains an enigma, it's also because he distrusts the media and grants interviews only very sporadically. This last characteristic partly explains why, to date, there is no true documentary dedicated to this unique and invaluable artist.
However, Jacques Audiard has now reached a pivotal moment in his career: after achieving acclaim with the public and critical triumph of A PROPHET and then the Palme d'Or for DHEEPAN, he is taking what seems to be the most audacious gamble of his career by venturing into a film shot in English, co-produced by a Hollywood studio and starring American stars.
It is therefore time to delve into his world, his mind, his obsessions, to better understand his work, to better glorify his artistic value and above all to unravel the many mysteries that surround him.
Broadcast (52'): May 17, 2018 on 13th Street
Written and directed by Julien Dupuy
With Alexandre Desplat, Thomas Bidegain, Gilles Cohen, Fred Grivois...
Produced by Joachim Landau and Raphaël Rocher