HIDDEN TALENTS HAILED BY NEW GALLIC GALLERY

In her two decades as one of French cinema’s most influential producers, Anne-Dominique Toussaint has guided to international glory such award winners as Respiro (2002), Caramel (2007), The Hedgehog (2009), The French Kissers (2009), Where Do We Go Now? (2011) and Bicycling with Moliere (2013). While in Melbourne for the MIFF season of her latest production, Jacky and The Kingdom of Women, Toussaint (pictured, below) told SCREEN-SPACE that her latest project explores the multi-faceted creativity of the great film artisans…

“I’ve been a producer for 24 years now and have produced a lot of films but I felt it was time for a new type of challenge,” said Toussaint, a woman whose elegant, sophisticated presence draws many admiring glances during our chat in Melbourne’s Sofitel motel. “I have opened an art gallery in Paris called Galerie Cinema. We will be displaying artistic works but only those from filmmakers or other people who have a direct link to cinema.”

Having worked with so many of the talents synonymous with European cinema, it seemed a natural progression for the producer to find an outlet for the full scope and scale of her colleague’s visions. “There are so many people in the world of film who are creative in so many ways, such as photography or sketching or painting, so to discover this side of these talented people is so gratifying and so much fun,” Toussaint says.

Her latest curation will launch in September with a display of photographic art from French director Cedric Klapisch (L’Auberge Espagnole, 2002; Russian Dolls, 2005; Paris, 2008; Chinese Puzzle, 2013). After a two month run, Galerie Cinema will present a tribute to the works of photographer Cindy Sherman from the American actor James Franco (pictured, right). Says Toussaint, “It is a very different creativity to what I am used to, the production and creation of films, but it is also the same thing, helping to bring the visions of talented people to an audience.”

Although the end result may be hung on a wall or stand on the gallery floor, Toussaint is determined to keep the link to her filmic roots intact. “It is still about cinema,” she says. “For me, it will always be about the world of cinema, but it is another type of relationship with the world of film.”

The unique endeavour is situated at 26 rue Saint-Claude (pictured, left) in the French capital’s artistic 3^rd arrondissement. The exhibition space has a long history with the display of creativity in many forms; until recently, it housed the renowned Eric Mircher Gallery as well as operating as a creative community hub known as ‘sometimeStudio’.

As is the case with all the most successful film producers, Anne-Dominique Toussaint does not lack for ambitious vision. Should the Paris location prove successful, expect a Galerie Cinema near you. Says the producer, “It is my dream to open up a Galerie Cinema in cities all over the world, in New York, and maybe here in Melbourne, and one in Beirut, a city that I love.” 

Full details of the exhibition schedule for Galeries Cinema can be found on their Facebook page here.