Director and screenwriter Alexandre Arcady is publishing his second book, 7, rue du Lézard, in April. In it, he recounts his personal journey and memories, as well as his artistic collaborations... and all his emotions as a citizen of the world.
"My second book is obviously linked to travel... I was invited to the Algiers book fair in November 2014. As with each of my trips there, I have a ritual that begins with the Saint-Eugène cemetery to pay my respects at the grave of my ancestors. Then I went to the Kasbah to see the building where I was born, rue du Lézard. But that day, something snapped. In front of me, the door to my 'castle' was closed and everything was in ruins. It was a real shock! A vision that forces you to turn the page on your childhood. That's when I felt the need to look back on my life. On my return to Paris, I met a publisher friend who encouraged me to write, and that's how 7, rue du Lézard came about...
In this story, of course, I talk about my travels around the world. I'm one of the French directors who has toured the most abroad. I've crossed many continents, and my travels have often been a trigger for new sensations, like when I discovered Miami, for example, a very cinematic city that inspired me, a few years later, to direct the second part of Le Grand Pardon. Similarly, it was when I discovered Montreal that I chose that city to make Hold-up.
More than the landscapes of the world, I'm very attached to cities and their histories. If I hadn't been a film-maker, I would have wanted to be an architect. Probably because being born in one of the most beautiful architectural cities in the world, Algiers, helped me develop this sensitivity... Discovering a building sometimes inspires me to build stories around it. When I was making Le Coup de Sirocco, I came across a house in Bizerte whose Arab-Moorish style reminded me of the Grand Post Office in Algiers. I was so impressed by this house that I wrote part of Le Grand Carnaval with it in mind.
More than the landscapes of the world, I'm very attached to cities and their histories. If I hadn't been a film-maker, I would have liked to be an architect.
I have the impression that I have built my cinematographic work by following a geographical path. It's true that I enjoy working abroad. When you make a film, it's like being in a bubble. In the evening, we're all together, actors and technicians, with the feeling that we're building something that nothing can disrupt, even if external events interfere. That's what happened to us during the shooting of Ce que le jour doit à la nuit. I made this film at the height of the Tunisian revolution.
Travelling today has become very complicated. After 11 September, security became essential and invasive. I remember with nostalgia the time when, even at airports in the United States, luggage was loaded practically on the pavement. All you had to do was attach a tag and your luggage would go straight into the hold, even before you checked in. Or that shuttle between Washington and New York. You got on the plane and bought your ticket in flight, just like on a bus. Those were carefree times. Unfortunately, the pleasure of travelling has changed a lot. It's become more complicated. But, fortunately, I still travel a lot. Often in connection with my profession, to attend a festival or to present a film... and of course for the pleasure of discovery. As we all know, once you're settled in your plane seat, between heaven and earth, the world is a different place... and anything is possible".
KEY DATES
- 1961: Departure from my native Algeria.
- 1967: Israel. The Kibbutz.
- 1978: Birth of my son, Alexandre, and making of my 1st film.
- 1985: Birth of my daughter Lisa.
- 1990: Birth of my son, Yacha.
To be published on 20 April: 7, rue du Lézard by Alexandre Arcady, published by Grasset.
Laurent d'Arabie, a comedy about the trials and tribulations of an employee of the company building the first high-speed train between Tangiers and Rabat, is about to start shooting. There, he is confronted with another culture and other customs, and learns to accept difference and tolerance.
