In Focus: Vincent Macaigne

Actor Vincent Macaigne (*1978) has been omnipresent in recent French cinema. Together with filmmakers Guillaume Brac, Justine Triet, Sébastien Betbeder and Antonin Peretjatko, in whose films he acts, he is one of the defining figures of the up-and-coming group currently breathing new life into French auteur cinema. The feature debuts of this new generation of directors in their mid-thirties have been celebrated in France as marking the dawn of an energetic new form of independent film that takes a very different look at contemporary life, displaying a great feel for comedy, a sure grasp of everyday absurdities, and an awareness of crises both private and political in the process. Vincent Macaigne, who is an actor, theatre director as well as a filmmaker, has to a certain extent become the public face of the films of this group of kindred spirits, in which he always plays men pushing thirty grappling with the passing of their youth, the complications of being in love, and solitude in charming, timid and winningly innocent fashion. His roles are marked by comedy, tragedy, and a certain sense of melancholy. We are happy to be able to present six current films with Vincent Macaigne as part of the Französische Filmwoche.