To be entranced with the cinema of Claire Denis is to be entranced with cinema itself. Those who don’t like Claire Denis... well there are six other arts, aren’t there?
MK and JR, Reverse Shot
Born in 1948, Claire Denis spent the first thirteen years of her life growing up in Africa, an experience that would have a profound impact on her later career. Denis describes herself as “une fille d’Afrique” (a daughter of Africa) and often talks about the estrangement and detachment she felt when her family returned to France – themes that she continually visits, along with race and masculinity, in her film work.
Denis studied at France’s top national film school in the 60s and worked her way through the filmmaking ranks to become an assistant director for the likes of Jim Jarmusch (Down by Law, 1986) and Wim Wenders (Paris, Texas, 1984 and Wings of Desire, 1987). It was while travelling across the US researching locations with Wenders that Denis wondered what her own cinematic landscape would be: she knew then that she would return to Africa to make Chocolat, and the beginnings of a long career were born.
Filmmaker of the decade
Nick James, Sight and Sound
Since her 1988 debut Chocolat Denis has made nine feature films (No Fear No Die, 1990, I Can’t Sleep, 1994, Nénette et Boni, 1996, Beau Travail, 1999, Trouble Every Day, 2001, Vendredi Soir, 2002, The Intruder, 2004, 35 Shots of Rum, 2008 and White Material, 2009), three feature documentaries (Man No Run, 1989, Jacques Rivette, le veilleur, 1990 and Towards Mathilde, 2005) and numerous short films. Watershed is delighted to bring a broad selection of her work, many viewable for the first time outside of festivals, to audiences across the UK and Ireland in this rare retrospective.
2010 was perfect time to hold a retrospective: Denis had just finished presiding over the Un Certain Regard jury at Cannes and her latest film, White Material, took her back to Africa, the setting of her debut. In the intervening twenty-two years she created an intimate, beautiful and poetic cinematic style that is sensual, evocative and attentive to even the smallest of details or the seemingly most insignificant of moments. It was been developed with a team (or as she prefers – a family) of regular collaborators including screenwriter Jean-Pôl Fargeau, cinematographer Agnès Godard, editor Nelly Quettier, composer Stuart Staples from the Tindersticks and numerous actors who appear in her films such as Alex Descas, Isaach de Bankolé, Grégoire Colin, Béatrice Dalle and Vincent Gallo.
Denis has a profound, evident love for the cinema – and lovers of the cinema love Claire Denis. Whether you’re a familiar fan or just discovering her work we hope you can take advantage of this ideal opportunity to see the stunning films of one of the world’s most original filmmakers.
