By Kirill Zhurenkov
“Ogonek” magazine
Having filmed “East – West”, director Regis Warnier is looking at North-South

In October, director Regis Warnier came to Moscow, the director of the Oscar-winning “Indochina”, “A French Woman” and “Man to Man” which opened the Berlinale-2005. It is easy to tell from his films that history is something that concerns Europeans at the moment. For example, one of his most recent works, “Man to Man”, tells of the relations between North and South on the example of pygmies who come from the jungles of Africa to Victorian England. This topic is more relevant for Europeans that ever before: new waves of immigrants from the poor countries of the Middle East and Africa have put the Russian question to old Europe: “What is to be done?” Regis Warnier gave his own answer to the question.

What ever part of the world your camera looks at, you always return to the theme of relations between cultures and way of life. Why? Is the South for you today what the East was yesterday?

You know, I grew up during the cold war, when it was impossible to imagine that anything would ever change. Then came Poland, Hungary, East Germany, and everything collapsed… And it suddenly turned out that the barriers of the cold war concealed many other problems from us. The conflict of South and North, of rich and poor countries, is one of the most serious since the battle between East and West ended. Judge for yourself: the money that an African can earn in Europe is enough to feed an entire village in Africa.

This is a series of problems which cannot be solved in Europe alone. We must also develop Africa, change the mentality and way of life of immigrants, renovate the houses where they live, and fight discrimination in hiring workers.

And what do you think about today’s Russia, which you have visited several times? Is it still the East?

You can’t say that there is just one Russia today. Moscow is a completely western metropolis, but if you go to any other Russian city, you will find yourself in the East. It is obvious that Russia is a country with wealth. But this is not the same thing as a wealthy country.

How did you find working here?

I filmed “East – West” in Ukraine and Bulgaria, but I filmed the “Russian world” there.

The 1990s were a difficult time in Eastern Europe. Everything was changing, and people didn’t know what to expect. They didn’t always understand us French, and we didn’t always understand them. Additionally the filming in Bulgaria took place in winter – it was very difficult to work. But of course, none of this stopped us from getting enormous enjoyment from working with superb Russian actors, and the devotion of the entire film crew to their work.

What did you like about the Russian actors?

The actors I worked with had professional education, even if it was oriented towards the theater. They understood very well what they were doing! In France, actors often start working in film without any training. It’s OK to begin with, but then problems start to arise, especially when the actors try to work in the theatre. Film hides the actors’ flaws, but the theatre reveals them.

But Sergei Bodrov Jr., who appeared in your film, did not have any training. How do you think his acting career would have gone, if he had not died tragically?

He was a very modest person, but he undoubtedly felt his lack of experience alongside such professionals as Sandrine Bonner, Oleg Menshikov and Catherine Deneuve. On the other hand, Bodrov had a natural charm, the camera “loved” him, as they say in France. And this takes many years of professional training and persistent work. But Sergei was actually more interested in directing than acting. He would have primarily developed as a director.

A lot of people complain about the stranglehold of Hollywood cliches in cinema. Is this a problem for you?

This problem does exist, but the Americans themselves have started to be wary of these clichés. The films that are made in Hollywood today are forced into such a strict format that people have simply stopped watching these films, and feel contemptuous of them.

Hollywood stereotypes are often explained by the dictates of producers. Do you also fight with them?

It’s impossible to do two things well at once. I need a producer – he is the guardian angel and godfather who I can always go to for help.

Regis Warnier came to Russia as part of an education project organized by uniFrance, the French embassy in Moscow and the cinema 35mm.

From the “Ogonek” magazine