1. Actress Sara Forestier with French Minister of Culture
and Communications Renaud Donnedieu DeVabres.
(Frederic Eger)
Actor, director, producer Alain Chabat (Frederic Eger)
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Home > Arts & Entertainment > Movies | Topic: Exhibits
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The Salon du Cin�ma: A Success Beyond
Expectations
Paris Film Expo matches excitement of Cannes
By Frederic Eger
Special to The Epoch Times
Jan 23, 2007
The way French actor Benoit Magimel put it,
"The Salon du Cin�ma�it's like Cannes!" For
this first ever film expo in Paris, Jan. 12�Jan.
14, the presence of crowds of photographers
surrounding Patrick Rotman, Florent Siri, and
Benoit Magimel made everyone there feel that
they had been transported to the Cannes Film
Festival.
For a $30 entry fee, Parisians, French visitors
hailing from the provinces, and even some
Londoners had the opportunity to ask questions
and take photographs with some of their
favorite celebrities, including actor Michael
Youn, actor-director-producer Alain Chabat,
actor-director Guillaume Canet, actor Benoit
Magimel, and director Michel Hazavinicius.
"As surprising as it might sound, there hasn't yet
been a film expo, although there are expos in
every field, from cars to chocolate or Andouillette and bathrooms," say co-founders Moise Kissous, Gad
Abitbol, and Jonathan Bryant.
"The Salon du Cin�ma should belong to all of us.
And because a celebration is never as beautiful as
when it is open to all, we wished to invite, as the
first foreign country [to participate], Morocco, a
land of French filmmaking, and which has shared
with France some of its most popular Moroccan
talents," said a press release.
For this international premiere, 50,000 visitors
converged in Hall 6 of the Porte de Versailles for
three days of meetings, presentations, and
receptions. Organizers said the Salon's success
exceeded their expectations. Moise Kissous found
himself apologizing to a celebrity who tried to
reach the VIP area and was promptly and
energetically directed by security to the regular
entrance area. "Please forgive us for the
treatment you received at the entrance. This
event has surpassed our expectations."
Once inside, visitors were able to engage the
Seventh Art in several ways, through institutions
and professional organizations such as the
Federation des Industries du Cinema, de
l'Audiovisuel et du Multimedia (also known as
FICAM), Film France, the Association des
R�alisateurs et Producteurs, SRF, UCMF, the
Union Guilde des Scenaristes (UGS, the
screenwriters' guild), and the ministry of
education, with the support of the National
Center for Cinematography.
One of the most memorable moments of the Salon was the inaugural reception under the patronage of the
minister of culture and communications, Renaud Donnedieu DeVabres. For the occasion he posed beside
actress Sara Forestier and his Moroccan counterpart, minister of communication Mohammed Nabil
Benabdallah,
A little glamour never hurts, especially with the appearance of the young actress Sara Forestier, known
for her roles in Bruno Chiche's "Hell" (2006) and Claude Lelouch's "Le Courage d'Aimer" ("The Courage to
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2. Chris Wedge, director of Robots and Ice Age 2
(Frederic Eger)
Love," 2006).
At the event's climax on Saturday, the Prix du
Public awards (the People's Award) were given for
France's favorite actor and actress.
The Grand Forum, open around the clock,
welcomed directors, screenwriters, and producers
to discuss their projects and present their latest
work.
Among these was a brilliant presentation by
screenwriter-director Danielle Thompson and a
line-up of directors such as Guillaume Canet, Eric
Lartigau ("Pr�te-Moi Ta Main"), and Michel
Hazavinicius ("OSS 117").
Three highlights were especially noteworthy. First
was the trio Florent-Emilio Siri, Benoit Magimel,
and Patrick Rotman, who worked for five years on
"L'Ennemi Intime" ("The Intimate Enemy"), which
was a "Saving Private Ryan" for the Algerian War
and will be released in September.
Another highlight was the appearance of Michael
Youn, accompanied by Bruno Merle and Cyriac
Auriol, director and producer, respectively, of
"Heroes," which is currently in post-production. Alain Chabat and Chris Wedge, directors of "Robots" and
"Ice Age 2," shared their experience and savoir-faire with the public.
In the end, nearly 60 presenters, ranging from film schools, the film industry, distributors and TV
networks, professional organizations, and editors, gave the public an inside look at what happens behind
the silver screen.
For film and audiovisual professionals, as I was discreetly told by some, however, the salon in many ways
looked more like an amusement park than a networking and business opportunity. Such is the challenge
that the next Salon du Cinema will face: to go beyond the "gadget" stage and to become a truly useful and
productive forum for professionals, as well as an educational opportunity for the public.
But building on this year's success, it should not be difficult for the organizers to improve the formula.
Long life to the French Salon du Cin�ma, and to the Seventh Art!
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