The 17th annual Lumière Festival wrapped in Lyon yesterday, celebrating cinema over its expanded 10-day runtime. Held from October 13-22, the prestigious event paid tribute to auteurs new and old, providing cinephiles expanded glimpses of films from cinema's history and future. Renowned German director Wim Wenders was honoured at the closing ceremony, receiving the Lumière Prize in recognition of his lifelong contributions to the art form. Wenders was greeted like a "rock star" as he accepted the award, calling it his proudest cinema honour. He emotionally paid tribute to festival founders the Lumière brothers, whose names perfectly encapsulate the essence of the cinema-art form. The spirit of the Lumière Film Festival is one of celebration, education and preservation. Now in its 11th year, the festival is held each October in Lyon, the birthplace of cinematography itself. It was there that Louis and Auguste Lumière first publicly screened films using the Cinematograph, truly launching the age of moving pictures.
In an in-depth post-award masterclass, Wenders reflectively shared his feelings of being fortunate enough to witness great changes in cinema throughout his lifetime rather than just surviving the industry. He vividly reiterated the lessons learned from making Paris, Texas – that controlling his productions as a European filmmaker allowed the artistic freedom necessary to authentically represent himself as a German director. "I realized I would never be American, and that I would never make American films. In my heart and soul, I was a German romantic and my profession was as a European filmmaker. To prove it, I made “Paris, Texas” with my own rules, my own production, a small budget, and the best people in the world: Robby Müller, Sam Shepard and Ry Cooder. And this film allowed me to return to Europe with my head held high.”
Wenders recently launched the European School of Seeing through his non-profit Wim Wenders Foundation, which brought together students from Berlin and Düsseldorf in a year-long teaching program. Speaking about his Foundation he stressed that "movies are only living because there’s an audience that sees them. [...] If anyone wants to make a profit from a film, he steals it from the people. The movies need to be preserved to continue having a life. So, I had to take the idea of profit out of the relationship between producer or rights holder/owner and the audience – the foundation model allowed us to do that." Wenders emphasized the importance of film education, stating "We thought it could sharpen the eye about what film language is and how it developed." Wenders sees the Foundation's role as promoting young talent and ensuring his films have a future. "My films are grown up and don’t need me anymore," he explained.
Over 450 screenings take place across Lyon's many historic theatres and event spaces, immersing audiences in cinema past and present. Expert guests including celebrated actors, directors and critics provide introductions, sharing insight and anecdotes. Central events include the presentation of the prestigious Lumière Award to an iconic film artist, as well as screenings at the vast Halle Tony Garnier able to seat thousands of moviegoers under one roof. The expansive festival program took place across Lyon's historic theatres and other prime venues. Guests this year included luminaries like Wim Wenders, whose work was deeply explored, Wes Anderson, and Jonathan Glazer.
Charlotte Gainsbourg poignantly presented her deeply intimate documentary Jane By Charlotte, visibly emotional as she afforded viewers private glimpses into treasured moments with her late mother Jane Birkin whose memory is now suspended in a valuable parenthesis of time. “I don’t know quite how to present this film. I did lots of presentations when she was still alive, sometimes by my side. I was so scared during the shoot that this day would arrive, at each stage, I was scared it would happen, and now it has. I’m no longer scared for her, that’s over, but I miss her, so make the most of her” said Charlotte Gainsbourg during the presentation.
Festival director Thierry Frémaux also paid a heartfelt tribute to Birkin as a multi-talented artist who was a regular guest. Meanwhile, Jean-Jacques Annaud discussed finding the casting process draining due to the emotionally challenging actor interviews, praising collaborations with Sean Connery while vividly detailing conflicts with F. Murray Abraham during the troubled production of The Name of the Rose. “Actors are often scared, especially when they’re very famous. Acting is a profession of fragility. We [the directors] are kind of like bulls, charging in to make our films, while they have this human fragility that we need to shine a light on and protect,” he said.
A major emphasis was championing the restoration of classic films for future generations. Over 500 restoration experts networked at the highly respected International Classic Film Market to strategically facilitate important preservation projects. The Lumière Festival's Classic Film Market showcased 12 films in the Re-Birth program seeking funding for restoration projects. Films included Mauro Bolognini’s 1963 film “Corruption” and Juris Podnieks’ 1986 documentary “Is It Easy to Be Young?”
A restoration of Louis Malle's acclaimed 1962 film "Vie privée" found success through partnerships launched there, while the overall goal is to attract a growing appreciation of these treasures amongst expanded modern audiences. The event highlighted Sweden's restoration achievements that year.
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Conversation with Wim Wenders: “My job is to pass on the virus” of cinema
