a cinephile at the MIFC
 

PostED ON 16.10.2024

A regular at the MIFC, Jean-Fabrice Janaudy talks about the multi-faceted nature of his job as a cinema operator and distributer.

© DR

Could you explain to the general public what your job involves?

Jean-Fabrice Janaudy : I run the Le Vincennes cinema in Paris, which is owned by Les Acacias. I handle the programming, accounting and administration, and manage the cinema. I'm also a distributor of classic films. In this second capacity, I manage acquisitions, public relations and administrative matters. We have three editorial lines in the re-release of classics: Must-see masterpieces, such as Fellini's The Road (1954); previously unreleased or underrated films, such as Black Girl by Ousmane Sembène (1966); and more recent ‘cult’ films, such as The Name of the Rose by Jean-Jacques Annaud (1986).

You attend the MIFC every year. What makes you always want to return?

JFJ : I find it exciting because it's a bit like the Cannes Film Market on a smaller scale. It's a very friendly, pleasant place that allows you to meet other distributors, French and foreign rights-holders and so on. We're all passionate about cinema with the same intensity. We can share our experiences of showing films. Every year there are more and more people, including some new faces.

© DR

What sorts of films do you like ?

JFJ : I've been immersed in cinephilia since childhood. Thrillers, science fiction, dramas, arthouse films or mainstream movies... I love all types of films. However, I do have a natural attachment to the French cinema known as ‘Pre-New Wave’, which I discovered when I was very young, particularly the work of René Clair, Jean Renoir and Henri-Georges Clouzot. As a distributor, I'm very keen to work with these types of films. In fact, I'm very proud to have organised the retrospective ‘The Guitry Genius’ last year, to remind people that Sacha Guitry is one of France's greatest filmmakers.

What projects do you have in the works ?

JFJ : A second Sacha Guitry retrospective in 2025, because his oeuvre is so vast. On November 6th, we’re releasing three films by Max Ophüls: The Earrings of Madame de... (1953), Le Plaisir (1952) and There’s No Tomorrow (1939). This third feature was Ophüls' first major French film, in the tradition of his later work, and hardly known, even to connoisseurs. Next year, we'd like to propose works by Julien Duvivier from the 1930s: Pépé le Moko, A Man’s Head or Poil de Carotte.

Propos recueillis par Fanny Bellocq