Laurent Bouzereau: "Who’s the magician hiding behind the wall? "

Laurent Bouzereau presents his film Roman Polanski, A film memoir – a documentary on the life of the Franco-Polish director – at the Festival de Cannes Special Screening. Here he answers our questions.

What was your first reaction when you heard you were selected for Cannes?
My reaction on hearing about the selection of my film at Cannes can be summed up in one word: jubilation! The Festival de Cannes symbolises – for me and the film industry worldwide – the highest honour that a film and its writer can receive. The Festival gives a film the chance to be presented to the most demanding of audiences, whose opinion is highly respected.

You have made many behind the scenes films, particularly around the films of Spielberg, Hitchcock or De Palma, Where does this desire to film in the wings come from?
I don’t remember the first film I saw, but I do remember constantly returning to watch it, utterly fascinated by the beam of light emanating from a hole in the wall at the back end of the cinema hall. I must have been maybe 10 years old? I asked myself who the magician hiding behind that wall was? My father talked to the cinema manager and after the session, I was invited to see the hidden side of things – in fact a small hot room, dark walls, bits of film everywhere. But that was what really sparked my curiosity. I immediately wanted to know everything that had happened before the film ended up in the can.

When Worlds Collide perdu (Spielberg): Making-Of 1/3 by Laurent Bouzereau by pitchbrioche

How did the collaboration with Roman Polanski begin?

I’ve known Roman for over ten years and have made several documentaries about his films including Chinatown, Tess, Oliver Twist, Ghost Writer. I’ve followed him onto his sets and he’s always been very generous to me. When he was under house arrest in his chalet in Gstaad, he called me to tell me that his friend Andrew Braunsberg had interviewed him and that they had filmed several hours of discussion about his life. I went to Gstaad and spent several days watching what they’d filmed. At times I was in tears and at others I burst out laughing… It was a discussion that truly revealed the man I knew and admired. I spoke to Andrew Braunsberg who asked me: “Is there a film in this? “My answer was instantaneous: “YES!! ”

Roman Polanski : A film memoir will be shown at the Salle du Soixantième on Thursday 17 May at 5pm.