A guest unveils themselves by answering our nosy questions. Today, filmmaker Xavier Dolan, president of the jury for Un Certain Regard.
What was your first thought when you were offered the opportunity to be the president of the jury for Un Certain Regard?
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Immediately yes! The experience I had on the jury of the official competition, presided over by the Coen brothers in 2015, was one of the best of my life.
What’s it like to come to Cannes without a film?
Less pressure.
Your best memory of Cannes?
The reception for Mommy. When I came out of the screening, everyone’s eyes were on me in a different way.
And the worst?
My next film, Juste la fin du monde, which was generally destroyed by the press (editor’s note: but very strongly supported by Les Inrocks). I spent days crying in bed. It’s a wound that the Grand Prix awarded to the film hasn’t healed.
Did the way people looked at you count?
Of course it did. But, you know, people look at us one way, and we always wish they’d look at us another. The gaze of others is, by nature, unsatisfactory.
Any Cannes survival tips?
I personally need my anxiety medication. I never go out without my little pink pills, otherwise it can happen that my body decides to drop down on the red carpet.
What do you miss most when you’re in Cannes?
My family, my friends, Montreal and its restaurants. This city is my haven.
What films have impressed you most recently?
Lanthimos’ Poor Things, as well as a few series: the second season of Feud, The Bear and Baby Reindeer.
The ultimate fashion faux pas on the red carpet?
The search for a casual contrast between a tuxedo and sneakers.
Could seeing all these films at Cannes make you want to direct again?
There’s a chance… People haven’t understood what I’ve said. There’s an incompatibility between my desire for cinema and the framework that the industry offers today. But who knows? Maybe that will change. I’d like to get back to cinema.
Traduction Emma Frigo
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