“What a pleasure and what an honor to succeed Asia Argento as president of the Gérardmer Festival! says Julie Gayet to 20 minutes. Actress and producer, she is the second woman in the history of the festival to preside over it.
“I am not an authoritarian president, specifies the actress who will be found on February 23 in Zai Zai Zai Zai by Francois Desagnat. I am for collective work with my jurors. Among whom we recognize in particular Alexandre Aja, Grégory Montel, Suliame Brahim (The Cloud), Valérie Donzelli and Bertrand Mandico.
Genre cinema lover
The fantastic, since that’s what Gérardmer is all about, Julie Gayet knows that very well! As a spectator, she loves genre cinema and as a producer, she participated in Serious by Julia Ducournau. “To help her find funding, I played the card that a woman who makes genre cinema must be helped,” she says! And I got twice what I expected. It was perhaps a bit of an unfair argument but it was worth it to be able to make Julia’s voice heard! Julie Gayet was obviously delighted to see the filmmaker win the Palme d’Or at Cannes for Titanium. “Julia is a great filmmaker,” she insists. Being a producer is what it is for me; contribute to the revelation of a singular talent. »
The great trailer for @Fantastic_arts directed by Marc Caro, a marvel! pic.twitter.com/5OBC59v94I
— Vié Caroline (@Caroklouk) January 27, 2022
In the dark rooms of the festival, Julie Gayet waits above all to be surprised. “I can be scared at the cinema but what I prefer is the mixture of genres. I love Edgar Wright movies like Shaun of the Dead that makes you laugh and shiver with a story of zombies. “She should meet the British director in Gérardmer because he is presenting a master class this Saturday. The President also had a big heart for The Host by Bong Joon-ho, the first film that comes to mind when asked about her taste in fantasy. “This monster film which speaks so acutely of Korean society impressed me,” she admits.
We have to wait until Sunday to find out what Julie Gayet and her jury are going to distinguish, but we feel that the deliberations are going to be as exciting as they are passionate, as the president vibrates with enthusiasm when she talks about cinema. In the meantime, Julie Gayet accepts selfies and asks for autographs with exquisite kindness before returning to the dark rooms with her jurors.