Alec Baldwin and James Toback © FDC / FL
SPECIAL SCREENING – James Toback films the underside of Cannes
The Festival de Cannes is a character in its own right in the new film by James Toback: Seduced and Abandoned, a documentary on the underside of the film industry. The guest stars include the pick of directors, such as Martin Scorsese.
When James Toback filmed during the 2012 Festival de Cannes, he surely wasn’t counting on being selected the following year for these same images. The documentary is made up of a series of interviews with Ryan Gosling, Jessica Chastain, Berenice Bejo, Diane Kruger, Francis Ford Coppola, Roman Polanski and Bernardo Bertolucci.
In an interview with Deadline, the director, who enjoys a devilish reputation, explains that he had the idea for Seduced and Abandoned, after a long conversation with Alec Baldwin, with whom he was planning to make a political film. He says, “In the end, we decided to go to Cannes with a camera and film our journey in order to make the money to make the film. It was a documentary on this process and this almost burlesque attempt to raise funds.”
James Toback first came to attention for Fingers (video below) in 1978, which was turned into a highly successful remake with Romain Duris by Jacques Audiard. In 2008, the director picked up the Prix K.O in Un Certain Regard for Tyson, a documentary on the famous boxer.
SCREENINGS
Monday 20th May/ Salle du Soixantième / 7.30 p.m.
