OPENING FILM

The film about classical music, “Boléro,” directed by Anne Fontaine, will officially open the first Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival (HIFF) on April 6, 2024, at the City’s Opera House. HIFF’s red carpet will welcome the presence of Director Anne Fontaine and Leading actor Raphaël Personnaz. He was a member of the Caméra d’Or Jury at the Cannes Film Festival 2023, the Category in which a Vietnamese film – “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell” was awarded.

Not only selected as the opening film for HIFF, “Boléro” also represents France in the Cinematic Crossroads Category, which aims to highlight the celebrated cinema of a country or city that has made significant achievements and influences and shares a special cultural, diplomatic, and artistic relationship with Ho Chi Minh City.

“Boléro” has just been released in France on March 6, 2024. The film narrates the artistic creation journey of a talented musician. At HIFF, the film will be shown during the Opening Ceremony in the traditional and historic ambience of the Opera House, promising to immerse the audience in a deeply emotional musical experience. The choice to showcase a film by veteran director Anne Fontaine, known for her bold filmmaking style that breaks artistic boundaries to explore new perspectives in cinema, reflects the spirit and artistic direction of HIFF 2024.

Director Anne Fontaine, a favorite among critics and box offices in the 90s and 2000s for her complex and bold romantic films such as “Dry Cleaning” (1997), “Coco Before Chanel” (2009), and “Adore” (2013), has previously established herself in the art scene with “Dry Cleaning,” a film nominated for a César Award; before achieving an international hit with “Coco Before Chanel,” featuring Audrey Tautou, which earned her a BAFTA nomination. Her first English-language film, “Adore,” starring Naomi Watts and Robin Wright, was released in 2013. Fontaine’s unique artistic works and critical acclaim have highlighted her as an important figure in the film industry.

“Boléro” is based on the life of one of the world’s greatest composers, Maurice Ravel, and his most famous work, Boléro. Set in 1927, the film follows Ravel (played by Raphaël Personnaz) as he is tasked with composing a bold and sensual score for the next ballet of Russian choreographer Ida Rubinstein (played by Jeanne Balibar), exploring the creative world of the artist as he faces the lack of inspiration. Through Maurice Ravel, the film portrays the impact of self-criticism, sometimes even more significant than external critiques.

“Boléro” encapsulates the silent pains of a genius who sometimes feels lost within himself and his music, a life full of sound yet profoundly quiet, a stranger in a crowd yet eager to experience it. Inspired by one of the world’s most famous pieces of music, “Boléro” has successfully created an intriguing portrait of the somewhat “eccentric” Maurice Ravel.

Speaking of “Boléro,” Director Anne Fontaine said, “The movie reflects the structure of the Bolero completely. All the sounds are constructed this way, from the sounds of the factory to the clock,… All of them have this construction that makes the same noise, the same rhythm but more and more sophisticated and intense. I constructed the movie through this rhythm and with the idea that the sounds could be constructed step by step to create this amazing piece that takes 17 minutes. As Ravel said himself, it’s not music it’s the empty of music. It’s very sophisticated and yes, there’s a link very close to this construction.” (excerpt from “Talk: Anne Fontaine | IFFR 2024”)

In addition to “Boléro,” many other outstanding French films of recent years will be carefully selected and screened in the Cinematic Crossroads Category at HIFF.