The birthplace of film, Lyon prepares to welcome many A-list guests to celebrate both the Lumière Film Festivals Heritage and Contemporary Cinema every year.
Run by Cannes Chief Tierry Fremaux, the event is gearing up for the 17th edition, with Michael Mann set to win the festival’s Lumiere Award for his series of works.
This year, the festival will further strengthen its relationship with American film culture with masterclasses by honorary guest Natalie Portman and Hollywood icon Martin Littt’s first major retrospective. Actor’s director, Litt led his star 13 to Oscar glory. Lumiere regular, US-based Mexican director Guillermo del Toro returns to Lyon to present one of the fall’s most anticipated releases, Netflix’s “Frankenstein.”
Penn looks back on his directorial career, bringing a massive screening of the 2007 film “Into the Wild,” with Portman discovering the “Black Swan” tribute and presenting “Arco,” the new animated film from Ugo Biennu that she produced.
“We felt it was important to pay attention to America. We’ve lost a bit of a word in the last few months what’s going on, and we’ve rephrased our love for film and our desire to celebrate it.” “At the same time, we have a strong lineup from Asia and Eastern Europe,” she added, emphasizing the festival’s purpose of embracing different perspectives, both as cultural and political gestures.
“Culture is speaking out about creating history, and bringing together stories from different parts of the world reminds us that given the fragility of the nations around the world, it’s more important than ever,” added Arnaud.
The program reflects that outlook, mixing respect for filmmakers in Europe and Asia with salutes to American films.
Hong Kong director John Wu (“Killer, “Hardboiled”) sat in the master class, presenting a restored version of his classics, and Japanese iconocrust Seijun Suzuki has long been praised for his unruly originality.
On the Eastern European side, Hungarian veteran Istvan Sabo talks about his work, reflecting the rapid changes in Europe in the second half of the 20th century, and audiences have the opportunity to explore the films of East Germany’s most influential filmmaker, Conrad Wolf.
Litt Retrospective offers the opportunity to rediscover directors known for their socially committed Hollywood dramas, such as “HUD,” “The Long Hot Summer,” and “The Spy Comes from the Cold.” “It’s this double dimension that hit us when we revisited his films,” Arnaud said. “On the one hand, deep social engagement – the issues of race and social justice – and on the other hand, extraordinary subtlety in his portrayal of relationships.”
As part of the festival’s ongoing spotlight for female filmmakers, a major retrospective is dedicated to Norwegian director Anjabrian, a central figure in her country’s new wave, and is celebrated with her incisive feminist stories and social dramas such as “Incest Relative” and “Paper Bird.” Her “wife” film, where she revisits the same character from a decade away, remains a feminist cinema landmark.
Another highlight of the festival is a homage to French actor and theatre director Louis Juvette. “One of the great reference points of the actor studio and Lee Strasberg,” according to Arnaud, reminds us of how French stage and screen traditions shaped international acting.
Famous premiers include Frankenstein and Disney’s Bruce Springsteen biopic Springsteen: Delivery Me Me Next Shore. “The fact that the studio is beginning to consider Lumière in its release strategy speaks a lot about how well the festival has come together,” she added.
He also has the debut of Palme D’OR candidate “The Eagles of the Republic,” the final article in Tarixare’s Cairo Trilogy, Dominique Mall’s “Dossier 137,” and directorial debuts by Juliet Binoce (“In-I Motion”) and Shu Qi (“Girl”).
Last year’s Lumiere Award winner Isabel Hooppad will return with Thierry Cliffer’s “La Fame La Plas Rich du Monde,” while Rebecca Zlotovsky introduces “Vie Prime.”
Classic screenings include works by John Ford, Werner Herzog and Stanley Kubrick. Cine Concerts combines Victor Sjöström’s “The Wind” (1928) with a live organ and a live orchestra and “The Phantom Carriage” (1921).
The 17th edition of the festival was wrapped in Michael Mann’s “Flying Cuckoo’s Nest” on October 11th, with former Lumière Award acclaimed Milos Forman, and “Heat” on October 19th.
