2006 Pieces of an opus : Marc Isaacs Pieces of an opus : Marc Isaacs
After first working in production with Channel 4 and the BBC, Marc Isaacs worked as assistant director to Pavel Pawlikowski on Twockers (1998) and Last Resort (2000).
In 2001, he directed Lift, which was selected for numerous international festivals and won many awards. His first film reveals his art and his great capacity to establish privileged relationships with the protagonists. The camera’s presence fades and is forgotten, making room for the encounter.
Travellers (2002), Calais: the Last Border (2003), Someday My Prince Will Come (2005) and Philip and His Seven Wives (2006) follow the same pattern.
By constantly seeking to create an encounter, Marc Isaacs attempts to recreate human complexity in its entirety.
A very strong closeness develops between the director and his subjects, creating a succession of deeply moving and tragicomic situations, with exactly the distance needed when dealing with people who reality has not spared.
"First and foremost I am looking for situations through which I can engage with the basic universal questions of existence. I search for characters who fascinate me in some way whether they be an alcoholic or a refugee. Strong human characters are at the heart of what I do but their stories will always be part of a bigger filmic idea. In Lift the characters serve a broader concept enabling the film to become more than the sum of its parts. This is also the case with Calais and Travellers, where the distinct stories are framed within a wider notion.
I shoot my films myself because I want my stories to be immediate, urgent and unaffected by the constraints imposed by working with a large crew. My films include as part of their narrative my getting to know the characters. We start with our prejudices and preconceptions and are challenged by the reality we find. I always set out to make comedies but often find an underlying sadness".
Marc Isaacs
Guests : Débat en présence du réalisateur.