JIFF: Claude Lelouch, la vie en mieux

Claude Lelouch: La vie en mieux

“The most passionate filmmaker of all.” – Letterboxd user

Australian Premiere

French filmmaker Claude Lelouch is perhaps best known for his 1966 Palme d’Or winning film A Man and a Woman, which also won two Academy Awards (Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Screenplay). He’s made over 50 features, dozens of shorts, and is still making films to this day.

Growing up in an Algerian Jewish family, Lelouch has a formative memory of his mother evading German police in Paris by hiding with four-year-old Claude in a crowded cinema. He credits this as the moment he fell in love with cinema – the art form that saved his life.

One for the Francophiles and cinephiles, this documentary allows Lelouch to tell his own life story, discussing his philosophies on art and filmmaking, his triumphs and regrets. It features appearances from a bevy of stars who worked with Lelouch, including Anouk Aimée, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Catherine Deneuve, Fred Astaire, Candice Bergen and many more.

Rating

Unclassified 15+

Duration

70 min

Country

France

Language

French (English subtitles)

Cast

Jean-Paul Belmondo, Anouk Aimée, Fred Astaire

Director

Élise Baudouin