Jean-Luc Godard is one of the most iconic filmmakers the world has ever seen. Throughout his decades-spanning career, the director has been synonymous with French cinema, especially during his rise to prominence in the ‘60s. However, in recent years, Godard has taken his style and morphed it into something experimental, utilizing real footage from archives and other sources to tell his stories. Most recently, this was seen in last year’s Cannes film “The Image Book.”
But for his next project, the director is once again changing things up, but still working in the realm of experimental film. As he describes in a new interview, he’s going to be focusing on mixing the world of archival footage with narrative filmmaking.
“It will tell the story of a Yellow Vest woman who breaks up with her boyfriend. The theme is inspired by [Jean] Racine’s ‘Bérénice.’ The character brings to mind Bérénice when Titus comes back to the State,” said Godard in an interview with Les Inrockuptibles (via IndieWire).
The Yellow Vest movement is something that has grabbed headlines over recent months in France. The displays usually include numerous women donning yellow vests and protesting for equal pay among men and women, as well as other female-focused social issues.
He continued, “It won’t be made just of what you call archival images. There will also be a shoot. I don’t know whether I’ll find what one calls actors. I’d like to film the people one sees on news channels but plunging them into a situation where documentary and fiction blend.”
And as for those specific people that Godard is eyeing to star in his “Yellow Vest,” he has a list, but he’s not sure if it will pan out.
“I don’t know whether they’ll agree to be filmed in relation to themselves, both in their professional situation and in invented situations,” said the filmmaker. “In any case, I have a list. For instance, there’s Natacha Polony. She’s good. But I’d only be interested in filming her if she’d agree to be seen in a moment of fiction.”
Natacha Polony is a well-known French writer. She’s an accomplished journalist and essayist with works published in a variety of outlets. Polony was also on a French TV series titled “On n’est pas couché,” which found her among a variety of folks talking about current events.
There’s no word on where in the developmental process Godard is with his untitled film. However, it’s likely that we’ll hear more about it soon enough, as he clearly is ready to move forward with his next project.
