July 30, 2012 - 17:24 AMT
Nimes film fest to honor Oscar winner Claude Lelouch with retrospective

Oscar-winning French director Claude Lelouch will be the man du jour when the eighth annual Nimes film festival “A Director in the City” kicks off in his honor in the historic French city on Monday, July 30, The Hollywood Reporter said.

The festival will feature screenings of five of Lelouch’s films, a visit from his famous friends and colleagues including Audrey Dana, Robert Hossein, Dominique Pinon and Zinedine Soualem and a master class from the director where he’ll present his documentary From One Film to Another that looks back on his more than 50-year career.

“I’m at the age of homages and masterclasses now!” the director told The Hollywood Reporter, adding: “It’s nice to see that some of my films have managed to last through the years and that people want to see them again.”

The unique festival will feature free outdoor screenings for public audiences of Lelouch’s films in local gardens Les Jardins de la Fontaine. The festival has selected Crossed Tracks (2007), Itinerary of a Spoiled Child (1988), All That for this (1994), Bolero (1981) and his Oscar-winning A Man and a Woman (1966).

The Nimes festival was launched in 2005 by French actress Carole Bouquet and Nimes native Sophie Rigon in the historically rich city located in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of Southern France.

Every year, the fest picks one director to spotlight and screens his or her films. Previous honorees include Claude Chabrol (2006), Hugh Hudson (2007), Claude Miller (2008), Jean-Paul Rappeneau (2009), Jean Becker (2010) and Bertrand Tavernier (2010). The fest is presided by Bouquet, Gerard Depardieu and Jean-Claude Carriere. Now in its eigth year, the festival called “Un réalisateur dans la ville” or “A Director in the city,” has chosen the 74 year-old Lelouch for the honor.

“Meeting audiences is always a pleasure. It’s a festival that’s entirely dedicated to me – it’s an honor!” Lelouch said. The Nimes “Director in the City” festival kicks off on Monday and will run through Friday.