Everyone wrote about his talents as a filmmaker, and no need to say more than quoting a few of his films : The Clockmaker of St. Paul, ’Round Midnight, L.627, Captain Conan, Coup de Torchon, and so many others…

Everyone talked about his cinema knowledge. He was an erudite, a living encyclopedia. He knew everything about every movie ever made. I never met someone like him, because, yes, I met him. I interviewed him several times in his beautiful city Lyon and he was great to interview every year. He was the President of the Lumière Institute. He created what will become one of the most important institutions in the cinema world around the house of the Lumiere brothers, where cinema was invented. It’s a magical place for movie lovers. If you ever have the opportunity to go to Lyon, take a few hours for a trip Rue Du Premier Film…

As the Institute President, he co-created, with Thierry Fremaux, the Lumiere Film Festival, probably the most “cinephile” festival in the world. 10 days of old movies, 10 days of Cinema with a big C. Every film is introduced by artists. And when it was introduced by Monsieur Tavernier, it was a show. Hearing him talking about movies was a delight. I’ve been going to the festival every year for 5 years now. I sometimes work for them, MC’ing press conferences, having a talk show on their radio, translating for US guests… And, my favorite, presenting some masterclasses. We have more than a couple of hours with a filmmaker or an actor where we talk about his films and his career in front of a live audience who can ask any question they want. It’s heaven.

That’s what I wanted to talk about, one afternoon with Bertrand and Joon-Ho. 2 years ago, Bong Joon-Ho, Parasite’s director, was a guest of the festival. They asked me to MC his masterclass. But a few minutes before it starts, Bertrand Tavernier, comes to see me, very shy, a bit embarrassed. He told me that he was a huge fan of Bong’s movie and that he’d really love to present the masterclass with me, but that he would understand if that caused me any trouble. I answered “Are you kidding me, Monsieur Tavernier? Of course, I’d like to have you on stage with us.” Suddenly, I had two of my favorite directors on stage with me. Of course, he knew everything about Bong’s film, but also everything about the Korean new wave. The discussion that followed was a delight, a pure and unique cinephile pleasure. It was a moment in movie heaven.

That’s where you must be Monsieur Bertrand Tavernier. I hope they have a huge screen there and that they play all the movies in the world…

We will miss you…

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Exploring cultural diversity through film, art, and beyond, Rendez-vous d'Amérique invites you on a journey to discover Francophone culture in America. Your host on this cultural experience is Didier Allouch - reporter, cinephile, and a familiar face on the red carpet. Click here to learn how you can subscribe to TV5MONDE USA and never miss an episode!