Elie CHOURAQUI first responded to our invitation in January 2008. That's a century in the history of ESRA. So it was a new and highly motivated audience, in view of the questions asked, that welcomed him. It has to be said that the film shown before his arrival, L'Origine de la violence (released in cinemas a few months ago) is not one to leave one indifferent. Based on a true story, the subject revolves around the Holocaust, the duty of remembrance and family secrets. An important film, by its author's own admission, which he was obviously all the happier to defend, given that it hadn't done very well in cinemas. But not all the questions were about substance, even if the question of the filmmakers' personal investment remains paramount. Many questions focused on the artistic (and personal) itinerary of the filmmaker, who was Claude LELOUCH 's assistant and has retained a certain pragmatism. But also on the logistics of heavyweight films (in terms of production) such as Harrison's Flowers, a war film set in the former Yugoslavia. We also talked a lot about actors, their fragility and their availability, particularly when it comes to sentimental comedies, a genre the director is very fond of.
