“The woman of my life was my Greek grandmother!” The great French actor Emanuel Bear confessed to the journalists on Friday (1/4). A protagonist of emblematic films of French cinema, with an important career in both cinema and theater, Bear is currently in Athens on the occasion of the 22nd French Film Festival (29 / 3-6 / 4) taking place in Athens and Thessaloniki, in who took on the role of chairman of the jury.
Simple, polite, with a natural shyness, Bear willingly answered all the questions, although she admitted that being in front of reporters was a “difficult exercise” for her, and apologized for the sunglasses she wore, saying she was responsible for a conjunctivitis. caused by the African dust in Athens.
The French actress spoke about the art that “saved her life”, about her painstaking effort to enter “at the core of the actor’s work”, about the challenges that cinema faces today, about its political correctness and… “his funeral”. image », while she did not fail to mention her role as chairman of the jury as well as her Greek roots and the Greek grandmother she adored.
For her, her visit to Greece is not of another French actress but of a man who knows “the place, the smells, the tastes, the people”. “My heart beats in Greek too. I grew up in a family where everyone spoke Greek. My grandmother used to talk to both her mom and me. Unfortunately, I was the first generation not to learn the language, but all my childhood memories are connected to it. I still remember phrases like “my cocoon”, “how beautiful you are”, words of love that left their mark on me. “My grandmother left at the age of 107, but she continues to accompany me on my journey here.”
Asked if art was beneficial in her life, she said that “my involvement with acting literally saved my life.” “I loved the core of my profession. And not so much the rest, the “accessories” that accompany it, such as being here in front of you and talking to you without following the words of a screenwriter or a playwright is a more difficult exercise for me, not always pleasant “.
The 50’s and the “funeral” of her image
Emanuel Bear embraces the 50’s, which she goes through with the same passion and enthusiasm for her work, however, as she says, she turns more and more to the theater, because it is “an art form that allows, especially women, to be active and after they turn 50 and continue to have nice roles, unlike the cinema “. “It’s one of the stages that one has to go through. I often talk to colleagues older than me, who tell me “do not panic, this phase has its ups and downs”. For me the age limit of 50 was important. Probably because the look in the cinema is not turned with the same enthusiasm to more mature women. “Maybe it has to do with me too, because for many years I embodied very sensual and sexual heroines, roles that are no longer offered to me in the cinema and nothing runs!”
In fact, as she stated, the film “Take me in my arms” (which is screened at the festival), gave her the opportunity to play a woman her age, something that rarely happens. “Essentially through this movie, where I play a fifty, it ‘s like being called to my image funeral and it’s fine! “I am here to assure you that we are very much alive at 50!”
Referring to her role as chairman of the Jury, Bear said she takes it as a wonderful responsibility. “Besides, this is not the first time I have been a member of a jury, I have taken this role at the Cannes Film Festival, when Tarantino was president, I have also been the chairman of the jury at the Deauville American Film Festival. It is a very nice experience to look critically at the work of others. Obviously, as an actor, I do not have the most virgin look compared to the average viewer, but in reality, I let my heart beat and feel the movies. This is exactly what Tarantino told us then: “Yes, we are film professionals, but let our hearts beat for the film that will move us.”
If there is one thing that separates the specific experience he lives now, it is that it is a French festival. “I have known many of their directors for years, while I have already seen several of the films shown in Athens in France. It is interesting to realize the imprint they left, but also my different look when I see them for the second time, “he said.
The turn to directing and the documentary he prepares
Emanuel Bear is now focusing on directing. “It’s not that I don’t enjoy participating in movies as an actor, but I think it’s time for me to turn my attention to something too. I am currently preparing a documentary. The volume of work in its preparation and production is huge. His subject is very difficult. It’s incest and I would not like to talk about it anymore, because I am currently shooting. However, my visit to Greece was important enough for me to freeze them for a week and come here “.
Responding to whether political correctness determines her choices, she said: “I hate political correctness. I believe that artists must continue to make art boldly, to continue to confront their demons, to work on the basis of their desires and fantasies, on the bodies of the people who inspire them. “Personally, I will never be influenced by political correctness in my choice of roles.”
Asked if modern cinema responds well to the challenges of the times, the French actress said: “I think yes, cinema reflects what is happening in the world right now: that it is fragmented, that there are tensions, wars, revolutions. We see too much pain, too much difficulty, a “No Man’s Land” feeling. The world is drowning. I saw a lot of social films at the 22nd French Film Festival. The choice of the program was made with a very critical eye. “There are films in the program that focus our attention on very important issues, films that highlight the frustration, despair and abandonment that large groups of people feel.”
She welcomes new technologies in cinema that, thanks to resource savings, offer more freedom to artists. At the same time, however, she expresses her concern about “the cinema of the creators”, which, as she said, is now facing the issue of survival, because those who make the decisions for the films that will be shot do not support it as much as they should.
He also considers the survival of cinemas, which are threatened with extinction, as a bigger challenge as the audience turns more and more to the platforms. “During the pandemic, our need to consume art never ceased, as evidenced by, say, book sales. Unfortunately, cinema and theater did not have the same convenience, so the audience turned to the platforms. But let ‘s not talk about the public as if they were others, because we ourselves have acquired new habits. Personally, I had never seen series and started to see in the pandemic. I needed to get in touch with art. Of course, the feeling of the big screen is completely different and it is impossible for my living room to offer it to me. I believe that the feeling of community that we all feel in the darkroom is very strong, and I think that, in the end, it will prevail “.
Emanuel Bear on the side of the unaccompanied refugees
During her trip to Greece, the French actress (who has shown significant humanitarian work, having previously served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador) visited the NGO “The Home Project” (which meets the needs of refugee children arriving in Greece alone), while he also participated in a charity gala whose proceeds will be donated to this organization. The NGO The Home Project has opened 14 hostels, which host children from 5 to 18 years old. The organization often faces political, institutional and even police difficulties. I believe that there is a clear political responsibility towards these children, who are currently in the country alone, unaccompanied. “It is very important that we support them,” said Emanuel Bear.
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