By Jake Coyle, Film Writer
CANNES, France (AP) --In one of the oddest but most fitting of press conferences, reclusive and iconoclastic director Jean-Luc Godard spoke to reporters Saturday at the Cannes Film Festival via FaceTime, answering questions over a mobile phone screen.
The unusual sight and rare audience with the 87-year-old French filmmaking legend was marveled at by festivalgoers who pronounced the press conference perfectly "Godardian." The director who pioneered film's New Wave movement during the 1960s was connected by phone by French critic Gerard Lefort, who held the screen aloft for reporters to approach, one by one.
Journalists lined up for their chance to ask one of cinema's most enigmatic figures questions about his new film, the state of cinema and even Michael Bay, whose "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi" is seen fleetingly in Godard's "The Image Book."
Composed largely of clips from films, documentaries and news footage, "The Image Book" is the latest film essay from the ever-experimental Godard. Playing in competition at Cannes, the film finds him, in voice-over commentary, contemplating the West's relationship to the Arab world.
"I wanted to show how the Arabs don't really need other people. They can fare well all by themselves. They invented writing. They invented many things," Godard said. "I think they should be left alone to deal with their own affairs."
Godard's remote presence at this year's Cannes is also timely. The festival is the 50th anniversary of the infamous 1968 Cannes Film Festival, which Godard and Francois Truffaut played prominent roles in shutting down halfway through in solidarity with student and worker protests that were sweeping France.
"I have many, many memories of May 1968 and people who are now departed," Godard said when asked about the anniversary.
As he has in previous films like "Film Socialism" (2010) and "Goodbye to Language" (2014), Godard spoke frequently during his FaceTime appearance about the degradation of visual language today.
"I think many parties contribute to totalitarianism in terms of the images films filmed, as opposed to images that are actually thought in one's mind," he said.
"I believe that the cinema, as I conceive it, is a tiny Catalonia, which finds it difficult to exist," Godard said, alluding to the region in Spain engaged in a bitter struggle for independence.
Later he elaborated: "The cinema should consist not so much as showing what's happening. That you can see around you every day. Films should show what's not happening, which you never see anywhere, including on Facebook."
His face filling the cellphone screen, the raspy-voiced Godard responded warmly to each journalist as the reporters milled around Lefort. The director's answers often followed unpredictable, ruminative directions, mixing politics with art.
"Democracy is shrinking in Europe. Children are less pro-European," said Godard. "The Africans are making more children, whereas in Europe there are fewer and fewer children. It strikes me that perhaps there's more love in Africa than in Europe now."
Asked if he planned to continue making films, Godard replied, "Of course, yes, absolutely."
"If I can," he said. "It doesn't really depend on me. It depends on my legs. It depends a lot on my hands and it depends a little bit on my eyes."
After close to an hour, Lefort said it was time to wrap up. The already standing reporters heartily applauded Godard, while the director smiled on the screen just before the call cut out.
Director Mike Egan Joins Good Behavior
Good Behavior, the comedy commercial production outfit recently launched by director Pete Marquis and his partners Victoria Guenier and Adam Lawson, have brought Mike Egan on board as the company’s first director signing. This also happens to be Egan’s first signing for commercial representation; he has been helming spots freelance for almost four years. Egan has a deep affinity for oddball characters who find themselves in unusual circumstances. He likes capturing these characters with simple, yet dynamic images that let them shine through in all their glory and connect with audiences.
“The Good Behavior name is more than just a name,” said Egan. “The things they care about and the things I care about are like a Venn diagram, circles sitting atop one another. And I love the fact that their logo is a baby cherub smoking a cigarette!”
The last two or three years, whenever I found a piece of work out in the world that I loved, when I tried to find out who made it, all roads led to Pete. I’ve been biding my time for quite a while, being very deliberate about my career, building my reel, having lots of conversations in the business. I had faith that the right folks would find me. Good Behavior finally did.”
Marquis said, “After seeing Mike’s work, I got the sense he wasn’t out to make ads for ad’s sake. He’s not going for the easy laugh or cliche construct. His left of center point of view is on full display in his work. And still he’s able to impart originality in a way that enhances the concept without getting in the way of it. I want to see more of Mike’s work out there in the world. And I want to see more of Mike. I’m thrilled to have an excuse to make both those things happen.”
Egan developed his... Read More