LYON, France — Speaking at the Lumière Film Festival on Monday, Natalie Portman emotionally reflected on the day’s news from her hometown of Jerusalem, calling the end of the war and the release of hostages and prisoners of war a “momentous day.”
Asked by festival director Thierry Frémaux where she’s from, Portman replied: “Well, I’m from Jerusalem, I was born in Jerusalem. So this is a very, very emotional day. It’s a really important day today, when the war ends and we see the release and exchange of prisoners of war and hostages. It feels almost crazy to talk about anything other than celebrating peace.”
The Oscar-winning actor and director is in Lyon as one of the guests of honor at this year’s Lumière Film Festival, where there will be a retrospective of her work and a tribute to her career, including a screening of Black Swan in the 2,000-seat auditorium.
On Monday, Portman also announced “Arco,” an animated film he created with Sophie Mass through his MountainA banner, which premiered at Lumière ahead of its French theatrical release this week. “I definitely feel the need to bring positivity to the world right now,” she said. “We produced ‘Arco,’ which is an incredibly positive and timely film. And the last two films I produced and acted in were comedies: ‘The Gallerist’ and ‘Good Sex,’ which is coming out next year. So I’m definitely leaning towards the light right now.”
Looking at the industry’s rapid evolution, Portman said he’s interested in how technology is reshaping creativity. “I’m interested in all forms of expression, of course. I’m also interested in what innovations there are in the face of all the new technologies. Because I think when you have new technologies like AI, which we’re facing now, that’s when people really get creative and shapeshift, like in photography. So I’m interested to see what happens in our industry.”
In her introduction to “Black Swan,” Portman said she had taken ballet as a child and “always loved dance as a form of expression that nothing else can match in terms of human emotion.”
Portman, an outspoken advocate for women’s rights, described her collaboration with director Darren Aronofsky as an “absolute dream” and reflected on how growing up in the spotlight as a former child star shaped her sense of artistic independence and understanding of female self-expression. “Girls in ballet are infantilized, they’re called ‘girls’ instead of ‘women,’ they’re asked to have bodies that look like girls instead of women. So for me, there was something about being in this position as a child artist, trying to please a parent figure like a director or a company director, and then being someone who looks for that joy myself. Being an artist is about finding joy for yourself, not doing something for someone else.”
Huge lines formed outside a packed Lyon auditorium as fans waited to secure last-minute spots for the talk and “Black Swan” screening. Those who couldn’t get in will definitely be heading to her masterclass on Tuesday morning.
The Lumière Film Festival will be held in Lyon until October 19th.
