FOCUS ON THE DOCUMENTARY Premieres, Previews & New Releases

UK Premiere BY HEART

Par Coeurs

A rare treat for fans of Isabelle Huppert and Fabriice Luchini, this revealing documentary is a fly-on-the-wall portrait of their talents, both of them inadvertently performing a version of themselves as actors.

Isabelle Huppert is one of the most iconic actresses of her generation. An artist on a stage, we get a close-up portrait of her over a hot summer as she prepares for a role in Chekhov’s ‘The Cherry Orchard’ on a large outdoor stage in Avignon. We are with her both onstage and behind the scenes, as the always stylish Huppert rehearses with fellow actor Fabrice Luchini. Interviewed with a handheld camera, much of which takes place in a moving vehicle, Huppert learns her lines and offers an oblique peek at her thoughts and feelings while preparing for an upcoming stage production. A vivid, elegant and unmistakably French portrait with an attentive eye for all the little details that have made Huppert something as rare as an arthouse superstar. Is Isabelle Huppert as cool and charismatic behind the scenes as she is in front of a camera? Mais oui! (Subtitles)

FRANCE 2022 BENOÎT JACQUOT 76M

UK Premiere MUCH ADO ABOUT DYING

David Gale, a terminally ill 83-year-old actor obsessed with King Lear, summons his nephew, Simon Chambers, from India to help him achieve a perfect end to his life. Doing his best to oblige, the younger man, a successful documentary-maker, embarks on a “five-year odyssey of craziness” as he and the cantankerous octogenarian, who lives in unspeakable squalor, engage with neighbours, sundry crumbling public services, the dreaded care home and a “hot Brazilian guy” to whom Uncle David wishes to give away all his money. This profoundly intimate film, a study in indomitability, is often discomforting, but with its big heart and quiet humour it is life-affirming.

IRELAND 2022 SIMON CHAMBERS 86M

GODARD: HISTORY: PASSION

A programme introducing a ‘Godard evening’ commissioned in 1983 by Channel Four.

Mon 14 Aug 13:30 – Studio

Tue 15 Aug 13:15 – Pic Palace

For full details on this film and Ian Christie’s Talk see Jean-Luc Godard Retrospective on pg65.

Gina Beck