Père to head 2009 Directors’ Fortnight before leaving for Locarno
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Appointed in July 2003 as delegate general of the Directors’ Fortnight, the prestigious sidebar of the Cannes Film Festival, Olivier Père has had his position extended for the 2009 edition. He will then join the Locarno Film Festival team as artistic director, starting with the 2010 edition.
Père commented on his change of position: "My role as artistic director of the Locarno Film Festival will enable me to continue and develop the discovery and promotion of young auteur films from across the world".
The Society of Film Directors (SRF) – who organise the Directors’ Fortnight – paid homage to the work of the delegate general on his departure: "At the helm of the selection committee of the Director’s Fortnight, over the past five years he has helped give it a new lease of life, by suggesting challenging and original films that often enjoy success among critics and audiences."
Under Père’s direction, the Directors’ Fortnight has enabled numerous European talents to be discovered on the Croisette. These include Italy’s Kim Rossi Stuart and Francesco Munzi, Belgium’s Joachim Lafosse and Bouli Lanners, Spain’s Albert Serra, Portugal’s Miguel Gomes, Teresa Villaverde, Marco Martins and João Pedro Rodrigues, Holland’s Anton Corbijn and Nanouk Leopold, Romania’s Corneliu Porumboiu and Radu Muntean, Hungary’s Szabolcs Hajdu, Slovakia’s Juraj Lehotsky, Ireland’s Lenny Abrahamson, Denmark’s Anders Morgenthaler, Germany’s Jan Bonny and Stefan Krohmer, Greece’s Spiros Stathoulopoulos and Lithuania’s Sharunas Bartas.
Further names include safe box office bets such as Norway’s Bent Hamer and Poland’s Jerzy Skolimowski. The delegate general has also unveiled works by Francophone directors Michel Ocelot, Christophe Honoré, Mia Hansen-Löve, Nicolas Klotz, Gaël Morel, Serge Bozon, Damien Odoul, Jacques Nolot, Sandrine Bonnaire, Thomas Vincent, Jean-Claude Brisseau, Emmanuel Mouret, Claire Simon, Bertrand Bonello, Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche, Nicola Sornaga, brothers Jean-Marie and Arnaud Larrieu and Lebanon’s Danielle Arbid and Nadine Labaki.
After two years under the direction of filmmakers Cédric Klapisch, Pierre Salvadori and Christian Vincent, the SRF elected their new president, Malik Chibane, on September 10. The board will meet again this autumn to choose Père’s successor.
Fabien Lemercier cineuropa.org