I started to take an interest in the profession of director at a very young age. As a child, I was already making films with what I had on hand, then I took a literary baccalaureate with a cinema option as well as a license in cinema. The theoretical aspect has taught me a lot about what a film can reveal to an innocent spectator. I find it fascinating to be able to handle a person’s emotion through meticulously crafted images and sound. There is a kind of mental manipulation that gradually takes hold and when you taste it for the first time as a director, you can no longer do without it.
The possibilities of styles remain endless. What interests me above all (and this may change over time) is to treat the whole dark, tortured and animal part of the human being, by highlighting the psychological aspect in a sensory atmosphere, in the form of a mental experience. I assimilate the dream and the nightmare to the cinema because they allow to escape and to enter an unknown existential zone and full of unpredictability. The unreal is a recurring theme in my filmography to date.
Watch the official trailer for GENOCIDIUM (2022) Amazon Prime Video directed by Alexandre David Lejuez | GENOCIDIUM © Noctura Films
indieactivity: Do you hire a casting director, or do you like to choose the cast yourself? If so, what criteria go into your casting?
Alexandre David Lejuez (ADL): I choose my own actors and actresses. When I write a script, I already visualize the person with whom I will collaborate. This has been the case for Eva Langlet many times. We worked on several films together and each time I knew she could go further in a new project. Thus, Eva is strongly associated with my universe.
What went into the casting process for “GENOCIDIUM”?
Alexandre David Lejuez (ADL): For Genocidium, the casting process was the same as for my previous projects. I immediately imagined Eva Langlet in the role of Angèle Mandy Bonaparte. She had already had a good experience with me and I saw only her to interpret this role of mistreated victim.
For the role of the dictator, this one was secondary in the beginning even if in the final aspect it has a great importance. I saw myself in this character very quickly when I wrote it, I could not explain it. There are sometimes roles that intrigue you or attract you for no real reason.
Without giving anything away, tell us a little bit about the script, how did you come up with the idea?
Alexandre David Lejuez (ADL): I started writing the script for Genocidium in November 2020. The main idea of the film is inspired by the health crisis. I wanted to deal with this in an unreal, extreme and horrific way, like a real nightmare. Certain situations can be very comical in view of the implausibility of the facts.
There are of course cinematic influences such as: Dario Argento, Brian De Palma, Stanley Kubrick, Gaspar Noe… The film is also a continuation of my psychological trilogy, which is a series of three short films that I made between 2018 and 2019 (Seul le sang me guide, Vincire, I’m Not A Psychopath). We find the same atmosphere. I see the film as a contemporary violent painting.
Who is “GENOCIDIUM” for? Who do you think would enjoy it the most?
Alexandre David Lejuez (ADL): My film is intended for all those who will be able to appreciate it at its fair value.
How long did it take to shoot the entire film?
Alexandre David Lejuez (ADL): We shot in January 2021. First, there was a week of preparation for the sets, the staging. Then, 3 intense weeks of filming.
How long was the post-production process?
Alexandre David Lejuez (ADL): I started the post-production in July 2021 because in the meantime I made two short films (Emma, Existere). There was also a lot of post-synchronization and sound effects work. In the end, the film was finalized in December 2021.
The film had a lot of talent working behind the scenes as DPs, sound designers, composers, etc. Why is diversity important both in front of and behind the camera?
Alexandre David Lejuez (ADL): I try to get involved in all areas of filmmaking. I work in a small team and I start from the principle that a director must know how to master all the techniques that make it possible to give life to a film: image, light, frame, sound, editing, mixing… It’s fundamental, he must be in charge of his work and have control over everything. I don’t think you can make a truly personal film by working with a large number of technicians who are imposed on you by a production. This very quickly leads to tensions, even conflicts of interest. Filming can become exhausting and restrictive for the wrong reasons. I say this knowingly.
What are your goals with “Genocidium”?
Alexandre David Lejuez (ADL): My main objective was to continue to experiment with cinema and directing by dealing for the first time and implicitly with a political subject. I learned a lot with this project. I’m very proud of it. The film was rewarded in several international festivals, notably in United States for the best feature film. Then it was released on Amazon Prime Video (USA – UK) on March 23, 2022. It will be released in France on Sofa VOD on October 26. It is also available on DVD.
What’s next for you? What are you working on right now?
ADL: Currently, I am working on the post-production of my fourth feature film which will be released in 2023. I see this project as a visual symphony highly similar to the concept of silent cinema. I will not say more.
What would you recommend to a new director at the beginning of his/ her journey? Any special courses, workshops, helpful books they can read?
ADL: I think that you have to learn by yourself by observing, analyzing, whether it’s photography, painting, or of course films. Then you shouldn’t hesitate to practice on your own, to embark on a project when you have in mind a clear vision of what you want to show. Feeling and listening to your artistic instinct is a positive thing.
Who is your favorite director? Why?
ADL: It’s a difficult question because there are many directors who mark you at different times in your life. You can admire one filmmaker for a moment and then later admire another, so the choice is complex. To tell the truth, the absolute master is for me Stanley Kubrick and his mastery of the picture, the frame and the symmetry. He was able to reinvent almost all cinematographic genres on his own and to make masterpieces that will go down in history.
What advice would you give directors around the world?
ADL: We must not forget that we live in an era where there is an abundance of images and that these are trivialized at all levels. The real question for a contemporary filmmaker is to wonder in what way the cinematography of his film will be immediately impactful in the eyes of the spectator so that he finds there a raw interest.
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