Franco-Tunisian director Abdellatif Kechiche, out of sight for three years, is actively working on the release of the last two parts of his trilogy mektoub my loveexplained this Friday in Montpellier, where his arrival aroused the anger of feminist protesters.
In 2019, his film Mektoub My love: Intermezzo, which included very crude sex scenes, sparked controversy at the Cannes Film Festival. Ophélie Bau, nominated for a César for her performance in the first part of Mektoub My Love – Canto One (2016), had climbed the steps but slipped away before the film’s screening.
The director, Palme d’Or in 2013 for the life of AdeleHe hadn’t appeared in public since this episode and we didn’t know anything about the progress of this film, although he promised to modify the montage to rule out shots that would interfere with his actress, such as his third installment.
“Dirty clothes are washed in the family”
“They are filmed, they are editing, editing. I have been spending my time there, for all these years. I have practically done just that: riding, riding, testing… I hope that the end of Mektoub“, explained the 61-year-old filmmaker during a master class before several hundred spectators, at the Mediterranean Film Festival (Cinémed) in Montpellier, of which he is one of the guests of honor.
“I also write scripts, but I’m still not sure which one I’m going to tackle soon in preparation, casting, etc,” he added, suggesting that he would probably shoot again in this region of Occitania, where “it feels good.”
Before and after this masterclass, around twenty people demonstrated in front of the convention center to denounce the director’s visit, accusing him of “machismo” in his way of filming women and denouncing his work methods, which would amount to harassment.
“Working with actors and actresses sometimes goes wonderfully well, and then sometimes it can also go very badly,” admitted the director, although he said he prefers “dirty laundry washed as a family.”
Disrupted by feminist activists
Going back to the projection progress of Mektoub My love: Intermezzo at Cannes in 2019, he stated that he was “unaware at the time of what happened” that night: “I didn’t realize that the two actors most involved in the film had left. Otherwise, the screening would not have happened.” taken place,” he said.
Some feminist activists then interrupted him from the rows of the public chanting “Here we also rise and break”, in reference to the sensational exit of Adèle Haenel during the César 2020 after an award given to Roman Polanski. Invited to speak at the microphone, one of them denounced her arrival, noting in particular that he had been the subject of a sexual assault complaint (Editor’s note: closed in 2020).
“I think you’re serving the cause you’re supposed to be defending,” the filmmaker replied calmly. “We fight as we want,” replied the young woman.
“I believe that the films I make have spoken and that I do not need to make a speech about these films so that everything that is accused of me is properly stupid,” the director sighed.
Source: BFM TV
