Filmmaker Benoît JACQUOT spoke to ESRA students on the occasion of the ESRA Thursday on March 4, 2021.
From an early age, Benoît JACQUOT has been directing; he likes to have the space and time to recreate them. His desire to become a director was born of the New Wave movement. A bad pupil and recalcitrant at the time, he met a producer through his father and became an intern on the set of Bernard BORDERIE's Angélique et le Roy. He decided to continue in this vein, working as an assistant director alongside Marguerite DURAS, who encouraged him and gave him the feeling that he should make his first film. He made his first feature film at the age of 27 The Musician Assassin and discovered the life of a film set, which he particularly appreciated and which brought him a lot of human and social benefits. He forged a special relationship with his actors, alternating between intimist and heavier films, such as Les adieux à la reine, Eva, Dernier Amour and Suzanna Andler soon to be released.
The director spoke to the students about the preparation, shooting and post-production of the film Diary of a Chambermaid, which he co-wrote with one of his literature students, Hélène Zimmer. Benoît JACQUOT is present at every stage of the making of his films, which he follows closely. He trusts his team, choosing them according to their sensibilities and specificities. For some of his films, he asks for an extra camera, which enables him to obtain unexpected scenes.
