Interviews

Interview: Michel Franco – Las hijas de Abril | 2018 Marrakech Intl. Film Festival

Published on March 18, 2019

Having been ardent fan of this filmmaker since being introduced to his minimalist essay on how an assault on the affluent can infuse toxicity in sibling dynamics in the Directors’ Fortnight selected gem Daniel and Ana back in 2009, the name of Michel Franco has been synonymous with Cannes, the Un Certain Regard section, Tim Roth (something he has in common with Marrakech jury member James Gray) and the kind of Mexican cinema that can take a sledgehammer in apathy but at time is volcanic in its pathos. We find ourselves about a decade into a rather prolific and uncompromising filmmaking career (and a fulfilling one as a producer), so it was a treat to look back at his filmography (April’s Daughter, Chronic, A los ojos and After Lucia) and look forward, with a new project being pieced together for what will be a 1st quarter shoot. Here is a quick sit-down in Marrakech.

Eric Lavallée

Eric Lavallée is the founder, CEO, editor-in-chief, film journalist and critic at IONCINEMA.com (founded in 2000). Eric is a regular at Sundance, Cannes and TIFF. He has a BFA in Film Studies at the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. In 2013 he served as a Narrative Competition Jury Member at the SXSW Film Festival. He was an associate producer on Mark Jackson's This Teacher (2018 LA Film Festival, 2018 BFI London). In 2022 he served as a New Flesh Comp for Best First Feature at the 2022 Fantasia Intl. Film Festival. Current top films for 2022 include Tár (Todd Field), All That Breathes (Shaunak Sen), Aftersun (Charlotte Wells).