Festival director Tsveta Dobreva along with artistic coordinator Cyril Neyrat told us about the growing importance of FIDMarseille for emerging independent creators, as its 34th edition is about to kick off.
Over the years, the FIDMarseille has become a hotspot of the festival circuit where one gets to discover the talents of today and tomorrow. Praised for its scouting talent and eclectic, yet bold and thought provoking film selection, made of world or international premieres, the FIDMarseille is held every year in the buzzing city of Marseille, in the South of France. A few hours before the opening of its 2023 edition, running from July 4th to 9th, we had the pleasure of interviewing FIDMarseille’s festival director Tsveta Dobreva along with artistic coordinator Cyril Neyrat, for a chat about this year’s programme, and the importance of FIDMarseille within the emerging film scene.
“A trailblazer for new talent and new writing, the FID is also a prescriber festival: […] professionals from all over the world discover films they haven’t seen elsewhere.”
Film Fest Report: Can you tell us what makes the DNA of FIDMarseille?
Tsveta Dobreva and Cyril Neyrat: Paying close attention to singular writing and emerging forms, FIDMarseille is a reference festival for the independent cinema of today and tomorrow. A trailblazer for new talent and new writing, the FID is also a prescriber festival, a major player in promoting the films and filmmakers it defends on the European and international scene. Generally speaking, film festivals are the first distribution window for films. This is particularly true of a festival like FID, which, because it presents films as World Premieres, ensures that professionals from all over the world discover films they haven’t seen elsewhere. That’s why a large number of films discovered each year at FID go on to enjoy extensive circulation in festivals and cinemas throughout Europe and the rest of the world. Because FID pays particular attention to first works, and because it faithfully accompanies the filmmakers it discovers throughout their careers, its role in the diffusion and distribution chain is all the more important. Another hallmark of FIDMarseille’s identity is the refusal to categorize films into genres or according to labels (fiction, documentary, experimental, etc.) All cinema, the whole of cinema, can be presented at FID, provided that the films demonstrate singularity and daring.
“One senses in this year’s Official Selection the evidence of the imperative need to seek solutions, to invent new paths.”
Film Fest Report: What does the 2023 official selection of FIDMarseille have to say about our world? What do the films suggest about our societies and the world we live in?
We received and viewed some 3,000 films this year, and selected around 60 for the Official Selection. We have no selection criteria other than the singularity of the films and the conviction that they are relevant and necessary to today’s cinema and world. Together, these sixty or so films form a possible image of today’s world. To attempt to define or qualify this image would be to run the risk of simplifying it, of turning it into a caricature, when on the contrary it is worthwhile for its complexity, its subtlety, and for the impossibility of reducing it to a few themes or motifs. Listing these themes and motifs says nothing about cinema or the world. But if anything emerges from this year’s Selection, it’s a freedom of narrative and formal invention, a thirst for experimentation that can no doubt be interpreted as a response to the feeling of a stalled world, as a rebellion, on the part of the filmmakers, against the catastrophe in progress. One senses in this year’s Official Selection the evidence of the imperative need to seek solutions, to invent new paths.
Film Fest Report: Can you tease 1 or 2 titles you are particularly proud and excited to showcase this year?
It’s impossible for us to single out one or two films from the competitions – it’s too difficult a choice to make, and it wouldn’t be fair to the others. But we are happy and proud to welcome and celebrate Laure Prouvost and Whit Stillman this year. Stillman is arguably the least known of the great American filmmakers of the last 30 years. Author of 5 films which, since Metropolitan (1990), have revolutionized American comedy, he will be in Marseille for the first complete retrospective devoted to his work. We also present the first retrospective of films by French artist Laure Prouvost, a major figure on the international contemporary art scene. A visual artist and performer, she has been making films since the start of her career, which should establish her as a filmmaker in her own right. Never before have these works been brought together and presented in the field of cinema. We are proud to do so in the presence of the artist, who will be with us all through the festival.
Film Fest Report: Have you observed in recent years an increase in the number and quality of emerging productions from some specific countries, that you may be proud of highlighting the work at FIDMarseille?
This year, we’ve noticed a large number of films by young Spanish filmmakers of remarkable quality, testifying to the great vitality of Spanish cinema. These are highly adventurous films, inventing their own style off the beaten track. A Spanish new wave, you might say. Argentinian cinema is also present once again, with three films, and several very good ones that we had to give up for lack of space. Finally, we’re delighted and proud of the French competition, which is particularly strong this year.
“We are particularly committed to supporting films, not only during their presentation at FID, but also afterwards.”
Film Fest Report: Can you describe the position and role of FIDMarseille within the European film ecosystem? And where do you want to take it?
FIDMarseille is by its very nature a festival that looks to Europe and the rest of the world: both in its selection and in the role it plays for films after their world premiere. The question of the circulation of works is very important indeed, and at the heart of our priorities. The circulation of films beyond their domestic market has a major impact on their economics, their visibility, their recognition by professional circles, and their accessibility to a wide audience. We are particularly committed to supporting films, not only during their presentation at FID, but also afterwards. We are delighted to note the strong circulation of films in other renowned festivals or on platforms, and the significant number of films presented at FID that are commercially released in cinemas. With FIDLab (an international co-production platform) and FIDCampus (a training residency for students and young filmmakers), FIDMarseille is diversifying and strengthening its position in the European film ecosystem, as well as being a decisive player in the industry and in the training of future filmmakers.
Finally, beyond the international character inherent in the nature of the festival, our team develops actions throughout the year to strengthen cross-border, European and international relations. Since 2020, FIDMarseille has initiated several European projects in the fields of education and training in particular, becoming a professional player whose framework and temporalities extend beyond those of the festival.
Acknowledgements: Gloria Zerbinati.
