First of all, a man, a masculine man. A man with a vision who makes films without constraints or limits. Knows for his feature film Hexing, starring Domonique Swain, and his short movie reverse, conceptual thriller multi-Awarded starring Camille Solal.
Over the years, he has trained in every technical department related to image and sound, mastering and controlling them all like a martial art. There’s no area he can’t master: he’s autonomous, so he can shoot under any conditions, with or without a budget, with a small crew, alone or with others. He puts his skills at the service of his art and others, as he teaches what he has learned and passes it on to future generations. For him, autonomy is the key to creation, and not depending on any system to tell a story is crucial. However, he is aware of the limits of his system, and knows that cinema is told by many, so he knows how to surround himself and share his vision. And he respects the rules of filmmaking. Christophe Lenoir is an artist/director/screenwriter/editor/sound designer/motion designer/producer/trainer/ who loves cinema, concepts, graphic films, emotions, great stories, actors and actresses, and who wishes more than anything to share his vision with as many people as possible by making films that are powerful, graphic, rich in emotion, technically advanced and popular. He excels in the thriller and fantasy genres, which he particularly likes because they are graphic, technical, conceptual and emotionally intense.
–What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
In the beginning, I wanted to be an actor. I must have been 7 years old, and Jean-Paul Belmondo fascinated me: he was twirling, joyful, unpredictable, funny, in action, I had my idol and I wanted to be like him. Over time, I became more interested in cinema and discovered what was going on behind the camera. There were several films that made an impression on me, but the ones I remember most are Hitchcock’s North by Northwest and Emir Kusturika’s Arizona Dream, and although they’re variations on the same film, they made an impression on me for different reasons. I experienced directing with North by Northwest, and poetry with Arizona Dream, and my greatest inspiration would be to condense these two segments into a poetic thriller, carried by the grace of the divine in a world that is searching for itself, opaque and dangerous.
-Do you think the cinema can bring a change in the society?
Yes, absolutely. I’m thinking about Veroehven’s film Hollow Man, for example, where special effects enabled science to progress in the medical field.
Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey for the conquest of space, and the Ted Lasso series, recently released on Apple TV, help people in their daily lives, because the series is built around self-esteem and awareness, and the work that needs to be done on oneself to progress in one’s life.
There are so many examples to cite. Jules Verne wrote that what man dreamed in his century would come true in the next, and I think cinema is a catalyst of perspectives that enables us to project onto a screen the world we want to have, the world we have, and the world we should have.
–What would you change in the world?
If I could, I’d bring education everywhere. I’d make it possible for everyone to have a roof over their heads and food on the table, to learn, to train, to know themselves and to evolve and progress towards the path of truth.
This is the awakening that will enable the world to flourish and erase inequalities.
Eventually, I’ll make a film about this, about a character whose life path, choices and desire to surpass himself will inscribe infinite possibilities in the collective unconscious. I think Americans do this very well, and they model our lives on very different aspects of our respective cultures, and it’s not just about Coca Cola. I’m thinking of Rocky, : incredible impact on my generation.
-Where do you see the film industry going in the next 100 years?
The Las Vegas sphere sets the tone, the union of stage and special effects immerses the audience and makes the show total!
You’ll see the Titanic sink in front of your eyes, and the actors will make the story evolve on stage, just like in a film, cut and paced in the same way.
Re-live the Punic Wars, the rise of Hannibal, the triumph of Charles V…
But in a way, cinema will remain on traditional screens, like books on paper. Because they create an intimate connection with each viewer, and more than the spectacle it’s the connection to oneself and to our emotions that remains the most important thing. And that’s what cinema is: a mirror space in which our respective lives are played out and carried by others.
