Marrakech (Morocco) (AFP)
The Marrakesh Film Festival made Sunday night a vibrant tribute to French filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier, a scholarly, passionate and tireless film enthusiast.
"We all need a tribute, a warm gesture of support, when we spend our time trying to convince people to trust us," he joked, citing American director Billy Wilder, his brief speech.
"I do not know if I deserve this tribute but I do not know if I deserve my osteoarthritis," said this late American film specialist, paraphrasing this time a replica of Robert De Niro in the latest film by Martin Scorsese , "The Irishman".
It was Harvey Keitel who gave him the Golden Star of the festival, after a public ovation. The American actor had shot with him "The Death Live" (1980), with Romy Schneider: "an unforgettable moment in the sumptuous countries of Scotland", according to Bertrand Tavernier.
The French filmmaker wanted to share his trophy with "all filmmakers, actors and spectators", with a special mention for the Lumière brothers, "the inventors of the cinematograph, a revolutionary camera that captured the movements".
"In our prejudiced world, the films are there to warm us up, help us," he added before welcoming the diversity of the Marrakech festival's programming.
After about thirty feature films, the one that made its debut as a critic before moving behind the camera recently turned to documentary with "Journey Through French Cinema" (2016).
A great defender of film composers, Bertrand Tavernier won an Oscar and a César with "Around the Midnight" (Round Midnight, 1986), distinguished for the soundtrack of Herbie Hancock.
On Tuesday, the 78-year-old director and screenwriter will be able to discuss his long experience of cinema during a meeting with the public. Other big names, such as American actor and producer Robert Redford, French actress Marion Cotillard, Palestinian filmmaker Elia Suleiman and Harvey Keitel, participate in these workshops called "Conversation with".
The festival jury, chaired by Scottish actress Tilda Swinton, will decide between 14 feature films competing for the Golden Star Grand Prize, which will be awarded on December 7th at the closing gala. Each year, the festival focuses on rewarding young directors by selecting them for their first or second work.
Last year, Austrian Sudabeh Mortezai was crowned for "Joy", a film about the story of a young Nigerian victim of sex trafficking in Vienna.
© 2019 AFP