17 mai 2009

Seeds for wider diversity in American culture?

World Cinema Foundation (launched during the 2007 Cannes festival) press conference in Cannes 2009 (15 May 2009)
Kent Jones (General Delegate for the WCF) : "One thing that has a tendency to happen at times in film culture is that things can get insular. These initiatives are all organised to combat that. To get the word out. To make the films known, to get them seen, to get people talking about them. To create an online community that begins with The Auteurs*, that will come to our website.
As we know there are many films available for free, it's easy to see films... The idea of [showing restored prints] for free is to create awareness."

Martin Scorsese (Chairman of WCF) : "I just want to make a point, maybe it's more idealistic. Ultimately, the more the audience has seen these films, they more they want to see other films like them. And then what happens is the audience changes. Which means that movies that are being made around the world could change, cause there is an audience for special movies, for new movies, for a different way to look at the world. Not just blockbusters."
The Green Cine Daily interview with Scorsese and Jones (16 May 2009)
Martin Scorsese : "It's important for these film also to be seen. As an American, to see influences from other countries, other cultures, because it only enriches our culture."

* 4 films previously restored by the WCF and projected in the Cannes Classics program are now available for free online at The Auteurs (original language, subtitled in English), from anywhere in the world (which is quite an achievement in these days of DVD regions and Internet territorial restrictions for viewing!) :
  • Hanyo / The Housemaid (1960/Kim Ki-young/South Korea) restored for Cannes Classics 2008
  • Susuz Yaz / Dry Summer (1964/Metin Erksan/Turkey) restored for Cannes Classics 2008
  • Touki Bouki (1973/Djibril Diop Mambéty/Senegal) restored for Cannes Classics 2008
  • Transes (1981/Ahamed El Maanouni/Morocco) restored for Cannes Classics 2007
See introduction to this films written by godfather-filmmakers at the WCF website.

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