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Adoring SF: French Filmmakers by Jay Randy Gordon and Doniphan Blair
French actor Gérard Klein hosts Laurent Le Gall's TV show 'A Frenchman in the States'. photo: L. Le Gall
WHO DOESN'T LOVE A GOOD FRENCH
film? Just ask SF Chronicle film critic Mick LaSalle or Mark Fishkin and his team at the Mill Valley Film Festival? Reciprocally, the French are famous for their love of Hollywood and heritage actors like Jerry Lewis.
But, given their adoration of beauty and food, it's no surprise San Francisco has become French filmmaker's not so discrete object of desire. Indeed, from indie to commercial, they are more active in the Bay Area than ever.
Hence, here are some strong exemplars, a manage-a-trois in fact, which we say not simply to be Francophilic and cute but because Laurent Le Gall, Jean-Louis Milesi and Christian Jeunet are all helping each other:
A Frenchman in the States
"When I came to the States for first time, in 1996, I had been working for French TV with Gérard Klein—a famous French actor, Polanski films, etc," Laurent Le Gall told us.
"Like every French man coming to the States for first time, I rented a Mustang convertible and drove around the West," Laurent recalled laughing. "I had to verify that everything in the movies was true—and it was! It was! I was blown away!"
Title card for Le Gall's 'A Frenchman in the States'. photo: L. Le Gall
"So I immediately started to write the series ['A Frenchman in the States'] for Klein but it took me a long time to get it done. After Bush was elected, it was impossible to do anything about US in France—impossible!—but as soon as Obama was elected, the phone rang."
"So I talked to Klein and we decided to go on the road and discover the real United States. In Europe, they still have very stereotypical views."
Le Gall's and Klein's "A Frenchman in the States" is popular in France, where it was acquired by Channel Voyage starting 2010, while TV5 World picked it up for airing in Quebec and internationally.
In addition to Klein as host, the entire production is done by Le Gall's company, aptly named Free Run Pictures; the team also includes in its entirety Le Gall's wife, Sandrine Di Rienzo, as cowriter and producer, and Grégory Martoglio as the director of photography. He also edits.
A very friendly guy with an impish grin, who has never had or has utterly renounced all traces of French stereotypicality, Le Gall lept head first into America, including the Burning Man Festival, road tripping and—well, California-America—Marin County.
We first met Laurent Le Gall at CineSource's Opening Party (2008), with Editor David Hakim (cntr) and maverick indie Director Rob Nilsson (rt). photo: D. Blair
"We started with California, naturally. Every state is so different, we encountered so many incredible characters, from the Mormons in Utah to Cajuns in Lousiana from New England to Hawaii—every state is like a country in itself. It is informal discovery— we are not journalists."
In every piece, a 52-minute show for each state, they meet about 15 people from young to old, artist to farmer or entrepreneur. Having done 30 states thus far, planning is underway for another round of filming in next few months: Tennessee, Mississippi, Illinois, Ohio, Colorado and Alaska.
This is Le Gall's commercial gig, day job as it were, and it is pretty spectacular compared to what Le Gall was telling us when we first met him at CineSource's Opening Party in 2008. But, in point of fact, back then, he was peddling an even more ambitious indie feature project and now that project is coming to pass.
As noted, Le Gall is an avid Burner. Indeed, by 2008 he already completed a striking, if personal, doc about going to Burning Man called "Voyage in Utopia" (2006). By that time, he had also apprenticed himself to local indie legend Rob Nilsson, helping out on some of Nilsson's many projects and imbibing his philosophy of Direct Action, which is very much in keeping with the Burner credo.
Le Gall (lft) took Nilsson (3rd from lft) to Burning Man, with Mickey Freeman (cntr) and Le Gall's wife, Sandrine (rt), in one of the notorious Burning Man duststorms. photo: L. Le Gall
So Le Gall did what he what he loves to do—he brought Nilsson to the Labor Day Burn in the North Nevada desert. Along the way, he shot material for his documentary about Burning Man, "Black Rock Cityzen", and they started workshopping "Zzyzzx Road", with the help of Christophe Lambert.
A narrative feature, written by Le Gall, it concerned a boy on a camping trip with his father. After they get lost in the desert, are saved by Burners (Le Gall's own journey writ large). Although Nilsson was scheduled to direct, in the end, he concluded, "It's your story and you have to direct it yourself."
Le Gall already has onboard the French-American actor, Jean-Marc Barr, who is quite the star in Europe having worked with Luc Besson on the big boxoffice hit "The Big Blue" (1988) as well as with Lars von Trier. He also recently appeared, as Jack Kerouac, in the film 2013 "Big Sur". He has also enlisted the well known writer/director Jean-Louis Milesi, his is also now living in the Bay Area.
"One year ago Jean-Louis said he needed actors," Le Gall told us. "He was looking for a woman so I introduced him to Nilsson's associate Michelle Anton Allen. He is also very intrigued by Burning Man and [guess what?!?] and he is coming this year."
"We are going to go deeper on the dialogue. He has written 20 films and he has a very good sense of telling stories and writing dialogue," Le Gall concluded. "Can't wait to see Jean-Louis at Burning Man, immersed in the material!"
Director/writer Jean-Louis Milesi (rt) with Cinematographer Herve Cohen. photo: JR Gordon
Don't Give Up The Ghost
Of course, Jean-Louis Milesi has not just been sitting idly by, touring wine country, taking his kids to Disney Land. Indeed, the writer/director of "Lundi" (2008), "Lino" (2009) and "Les Neiges du Kilimandjaro", (2011) as well as more than 20 screenplays for films featured at Cannes, Berlin, Torino and other festivals is hard at work on his forthcoming comedy/action/fantasy feature, "Don't Give Up The Ghost" which he wrote and directed, also see his Kickstarter page and personal site.
In fact, the title is a tribute to the late Graham Leggat, former director of the San Francisco International Film Festival, currently running through May 9th. During their first year in SF, Milesi and his family bonded with Leggat and he helped inspire not only the title and the making of the film but his family's ongoing residence.
“I think Graham would have shared this idea that imagination can allow us to move forward and progress in our daily lives," Milesi exclaims with full Gallist enthusiasm. "If the movie doesn't speak directly about Graham, my ghost shares with him his first name and his passion for cinema.” 95-minutes long, the story is based on the Milesi family and its three sons.
Three French brothers go to San Francisco with their American mother. When their trip becomes boring, the adventure begins. The ghost of their great uncle Leggat appears and challenges both the boys (and the film viewers) to accept the magic of the afterlife despite the fact that the ghost himself is tormented by the wicked “Snorter”.
Milesi and his three sons, who were the inspiration for the film, along with the late SF International Film Festival Director Graham Leggat. photo: JR Gordon
Various film scenes for "Ghost" were shot in Bay Area: The Berkeley Marina, Berkeley Hills, the Albany Dump Sculptures, Alcatraz, Chinatown and more .
Milesi has also worked with the wellknown American musician Taj Mahal and a fabulous and similarly famous Director of Photography, Herve Cohen ( http://www.hervecohen.com/ ) who produced and co-directed “Closer To The Dream (2010)” about Obama's 2008 campaign.
“The initial plan was to stay for only one year," Milesi told us about coming to America, "But, unexpectedly, we were able to change our visas.” Hence, two of his three boys, Lino (6) and Hugo (13) are enrolled in public schools while Matteo (16) is at the French-American school. Sadly, after some time in France, Leggat passed away on the same day Milesi returned to the Bay Area.
Having completed filming and fundraising of $50,000 in 2012, Milesi is looking for finishing funds. He recently held a special free screening at the famous Bissap Baobab Restaurant in the Mission for the cast, crew, Jean-Michel Hure, composer of the original score, Mary Jones' Lights members, and special guest singers Ambre & Donna.
The screening supports the launch of the second Kickstarter campaign to cover special effects, color calibration, sound effects, and showed the trailer, a few minutes of the film, and large extracts of the “Making Of” the movie. The plan is to be a Sundance Film Festival pick in 2014.
Christian Jeunet hard at work—albeit with a little cheese tasting on the side—capturing a San Francisco farmer's market. photo: C. Jeanet
San Francisco: Beyond The Postcard
To capture the spirit of everyday and famous San Franciscans alike, Director /Producer/Cinematographer Christian Jeunet, also a friend of Milesi, teamed up with writers Genevieve Gaillard and Jacqueline Souchon, author of "San Francisco The City By The Bay and the French-language"Only in San Francisco" blog to make "San Francisco: Beyond The Postcard".
"San Francisco, with all that it has to offer, is a city that draws people. Its inhabitants proudly call it "the best city in the world" and gladly participate in making it an even better one," according to Jeunet, who has made other documentaries and has an international distribution network.
"Through our encounters and the testimonies collected, through its history, its follies, and its choices, in its magnificent surroundings, the unique character of San Francisco stands out for all to see," he continued.
This forthcoming visually-in-love tribute to San Francisco has over 100 hours of rushes and is in post-production phase with the hopes of releasing before the end of 2013.
Beyond the usual cliches, Jeaunet hopes to get to know San Francisco's true meaning through her people. Indeed, his film is dedicated to Herb Caen who once remarked: "One day, if I do go to heaven... I'll look around and say, it ain't bad but it ain't San Francisco."
Jeunet films shipboard at the Embarcadero. photo: C. Jeanet
Filming started two years ago and it included interviews with famous San Franciscancs include former Mayor Willie Brown, California State Assembly member Tom Ammiano and The Reverend Cecil Williams, Pastor of Glide Memorial Church.
With production taking place at Avenir Numerique & Co (http://www.avenir-numerique.com) in La Rochette, France, and Music by Kelley Stoltz and Antoine Baggio, this high-definition documentary extends 110 minutes and is currently in post-production.
Jeunet also collaborated with Professuer Goery Delacote, of l'Academie des Technologies, who helped the Exploratorium to raise the funds needed for its recent move to its new Embarcadero Pier 15/17 home.
Film Gems with Bay Area Backdrops
San Francisco has been the backdrop of classic films like Hitchcock's "Vertigo" and about half of all Noirs ever made. Here's to a "Big Finish" by our new-found French cineaste friends who are following in the tradition and we look forward to seeing more French work starring that enduring celebrity star that we call “San Francisco.”
Jay Randy Gordon is a frequent Cinesource Magazine contributor, member of Transmedia SF, and co-founder of Sports Mavericks and can be found .