New French Cinema: 
Axelle Ropert and Serge Bozon

Axelle Ropert and Serge Bozon, born 1972, are key figures in contemporary French cinema. Both make films, write about films, and act in films. Axelle Ropert is also the scriptwriter for Serge Bozon. Their reviews have been published in Trafic, Cahiers du cinéma, Cinema Scope, Vertigo (Bozon) and Les Inrockuptibles (Ropert), although their long writing career for the magazine La Lettre du cinéma (1998 to 2005) is of particularly significance for both of them with respect to their group and working contexts. It is from this period that their close relationships with filmmakers such as Jean-Charles Fitoussi, Pierre Léon, Jean-Paul Civeyrac, Jean-Claude Biette, Marie-Claude Treilhou, and Paul Vecchiali stem. Although the individual films made by Bozon and Ropert exhibit different personal styles, they each demonstrate an artistic single-mindedness and comprehensive knowledge of film history. They share a predilection for humor and musical interventions, an anti-naturalistic approach, and a joy for text that shows itself in precisely written dialogues and novelistic storytelling. The focus is often on groups, cliques or families, on farewells or disruptions. They are also united in how they reference both classic American cinema and Eric Rohmer.

We are happy to be able to present thee films by Serge Bozon and two films by Axelle Ropert as part of the 15th French Film Week, some of them for the very first time in Berlin. Thanks to the support of the Institut français Germany, both will be our guests at Arsenal. Alongside numerous Q&As, a studio discussion with Axelle Ropert moderated by Marcus Seibert will be taking place on 13.12. as part of the "Revolver Live" series.