Dominic Besnehard.

In this dictionary of my lifeIn a sequence of 26 letters, he looks back on his artistic and intimate journey. From Angouleme, one of the mainstays of the Francophone Film Festival, which opens this Tuesday, August 22, with his popular imagination, he says to himself:

In the video, Ten percentseason 4 trailer

Madame Figaro .- How do we decide to write? “a dictionary of life» ?
Dominic Besnehard: I wanted to talk about what formed and nourished me, about the people accompanying me, about the key episodes of my life, intimate and artistic. There should have been a movie, but not only that. Talking about Patrick Devaer or Jeanne Moreau was obvious, but I also wanted to talk about the near death I had, the trip to Rwanda that upset me, or what I owe to ORTF. It was from television that my love for actors began. I used to watch movies on TV and when the end of the movies ended, I would write down the names of the actors I admired.

This book immerses us in your past. Are you nostalgic?
Enormously. I’m even surrounded by young people who warn me because I’m a fan of ‘it used to be better’… Technology has brought us great things, like Wikipedia, which I adore because I find it in the movies. all i want actors etc. But social networks, on the contrary, have led to the degradation of human relations, which I regret. Not to mention that they diminish the mind. We think only in slogans, we communicate only by e-mail, we call a platform controlled by robots as soon as we have a problem… My parents ran a grocery store, a place of meeting and exchange that marked my life. , shaped my relationships with others and I miss it dearly today.

Some actors are more concerned about the brand they’ll be working with than the next movie they’re doing

Dominic Besnehard

You have been working in film production for about fifty years. How do you perceive its evolution?

I’m glad I’m not an agent today. I loved this job that I did for twenty-two years when everything was simpler, more direct. In the past, when we had a problem with the actor we represented, we discussed it like adults and looked for solutions. Today, at the slightest hiccup, they leave. Actors are not so loyal anymore… Earlier the film industry was also looking less towards the port. There were not so many intermediaries, image brokers. These new communicators are only convinced of the amount that this or that advertisement can bring them. There is nothing artistic about it, and I regret it. To me, these are star rugs that I don’t always find very intellectually honest. They think about profitability, visibility, evaluation. Result: some actors are more concerned about the brand they’ll be working with than the next movie they’re doing. It’s too bad to think about the long term… You don’t build a career on that. Fortunately, some have realized this. I think of Alexandra Lamy, Sandrine Kiberlain or Virginie Efira who have popularity, respect in the community and a career.

Cinema keeps you dreaming.

Of course, otherwise I wouldn’t have created the Angoulême festival, which every year allows you to discover favorites such as: Tony with family This year. Moreover, as far as culture is concerned, in which country are we treated better than in France? Film people got a lot of help to survive during Covid. The interruption has been extended. We even produce great European filmmakers whose countries don’t support them enough, like Pedro Almodovar…

“We’re looking for a push with the wind”

One of the chapters in the book is called “Our Little World as it Goes Bad.” What’s wrong with that?

A few hours away from Paris, a conflict is unfolding with images as fierce as World War II. And we are no longer interested in that, the compassion is gone. The same with the shipwreck in the Mediterranean Sea, about which we talk between pears and cheese, forgetting that disasters are at risk there. But the news circulates quickly, one piece of information pushes out the other, we are looking for noise… We push very serious issues under the carpet for the international community and look for the click with the wind, as it happened in Armenia. case Palmade. If he deserved to be treated, he also indulged in the stupidest extravagances.

And about your tortures that you mention in the book?

They are related to the disappearance of people I love. You know, I have absolutely no fear of my own death. I know this because I didn’t get far when I had a heart attack in late 2022. On the other hand, when I woke up, it was the face of my dear friend Charlotte Valandry that appeared to me. He was one of the last people I went to my deathbed with… My agony is: the void caused by the absence of some people. For the rest, I’m fine with who I am. I, for one, never hid or felt bad about my homosexuality, especially because I was lucky enough to have loving parents who never judged me.

What do you think about the evolution of performances in film?

In my youth, movies that evoked love between two men were rare. The first time I saw an older man kiss another man on screen was in 1971. Sunday like any other By John Schlesinger, with Peter Finch, Murray Head and Glenda Jackson. I was very worried because it was new. Today, thanks to filmmakers like François Ozon, whose subtlety I admire, there are more examples, and I’m happy that it helps young people discover themselves. The only thing I can’t stand when dealing with homosexuality is vulgarity.

It’s important to remember how difficult it may have been to live out your identity at a certain time.

Dominic Besnehard

Don’t you have a theater project on that topic?

I am preparing a play that will be presented in January. The guys in the band Written in the late 1960s by Mart Crowley, it caused a scandal, including in France. It was also the first play played by Gérard Depardieu in 1969. This new version will be directed by Antoine Courtray. At a secret soiree in 1969, young gay men talk about the obstacles they face every day. It’s important to remember how difficult it was to live your identity at a certain time. To remember is to ensure that it does not happen again.

This dictionary counts: What would you like us to remember about you?

My friends would probably tell you that I am enthusiastic, vindictive and loyal. That’s a definition that works for me. One of my greatest prides is that I have cheated very little. I have always tried to be brave in a job that sometimes requires cowardice. I have certainly made small lies, but only to protect and not hurt.

Where is the movie project? Ten percent ?

He prepares himself. After a few hiccups, Fanny Herrero is back to writing and I’m ecstatic! He knows the DNA of the series better than anyone. In the fall, we will also start filming another project called It’s Parisa series in a Parisian cabaret led by Mark Fitussy.

The Dictionary of My Life, prepared with Guillaume Evin. €17.50, 200 pages, ed. Kero: