Leos Carax: Cinema is like an island, a beautiful island, with a large cemetery

At the press conference for Holy Motors, French filmmaker Leos Carax was accompanied by his actors: Denis Lavant, Edith Scob and Kylie Minogue, as well as his chief cinematographer Carolina Champetier and his producer Martine Marignac. A man of few words, Carax readily engaged with journalists, responding in a concentrated and sincere manner to their questions.

 

On references to cinema:
Leos Carax: “I hate the term ‘reference’. Cinema is like an island, a beautiful island, with a large cemetery. When you make a film, you are creating cinema.”

On his relationship with the audience:
Leos Carax: “I am determined to be seen. Liked? If one person likes me, then I’m happy.” (…) “I do not like public films, I make private films.”
Denis Lavant (to clarify): “The director’s relationship with the audience is private: a relationship between one individual with another individual, not with the anonymous masses.”
 

On the character that was the most difficult to play:

Denis Lavant: “Leos especially feared the father with his daughter and the old man with his niece, because there is a particularly realistic style that until then, we hadn’t used. But the scene for which I needed to have the most composure, patience, and confidence was the one with the monkeys.”

Leos Carax: “Denis has become 10,000 times better than when we first met, which is not true for every actor.  He wouldn’t have been able to film these two scenes five years ago. Thirty years ago, Denis was already a phenomenal actor. Since then he has climbed to heights that I’ve never seen before.”

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