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It has just come to my attention, rather belatedly, that Vincent was among those interviewed in the documentary, "Somebody Told Me about.... Carla Bruni", which premiered on the Sundance Channel back in September 2009. The 80-minute film by British director George Scott is a portrait of Carla that interviews with France's First Lady and the President as well as several personalities who have either a personal or business relationship with her. There will be an encore showing this Saturday evening on the Sundance Channel.

As we all know, Vincent and Karine are always attentive to fashion, thus attending Paris Fashion Week Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2010 at Atelier Jean-Peal Gaultier on January 27th. They joined a list of celebrities as you can see from the photos below taken at the Elie Saab Fashion Show - that's Ines de la Fressange and Dita von Teese. You'll also notice that the couple brought along their ten-year-old daughter Iman. This was Vincent's second appearance at the show this week though the first time he was backstage. During the men's show, he shot a behind-the-scenes reportage for Paris Match magazine as he took snaps of makeup artists dabbing fake blood on the models. He told reporters that next fall he will direct his third feature film, which is based on the WWII-era book, "Alone in Berlin". Apparently it will be shot in German with Vincent joking, "My mother is German, as you can tell from the name."

The two-part TV drama, “Lo scandalo della Banca Romana” premiered on Italian television this week. On January 17 and 18, 24% of the TV audience watched the film making it the most watched program since the days of broadcasting began. It generated excitement and reopened the debate on a moral issue that goes beyond the historical period.

The drama, directed by Stefano Reali, was shot last year in numerous locations in Belgrade. Scenes were also shot in Kotor and Rome. Vincent and Guiseppe Fiorello headed the cast, which included over 50 Serbian actors. As expected, the film attracted great attention by the Italian public because it deals with one of the biggest financial and corruption affairs in Italy's modern history. In late 19th century, “Banca Romana” was one of the six central banks in Italy which had permission to print notes. At the beginning of 1889, the president of the board of ministers, Francesco Crispi, ordered an examination of bank transactions and it proved that “Banca Romana” violated all business and ethical rules - they printed overdrawn notes and, above all, the bank gave “loans” to the most influential politicians, including Crispi, as well as Prime Minister Giovanni Giolitti.

On January 12th Vincent attended the Launch Party for Glenfiddich Single Malt Rare Editions. The event was held in Paris in the rotunda of the Opera Garnier's cellar, which had never before been opened to the public. The rare whiskey editions from Dufftown, Scotland, included three bottles - 30 years, 40 years and 50 years old. I bet that stuff is quite pricey! On the left in the top row, Vincent is shown with actor Pascal Elbe and in the bottom row, he poses with  TV host/writer Beigbeder and his guest, TV host/writer Gonzague Saint Brie and actor Bruno Putzulu.

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Back in October Vincent did several Canadian interviews promoting "Demain des l'aube". I recently came across an 8-minute video with Herby Moreau, who hosts an online web site featuring celebrity interviews. You can click on the photo below to access the video. There's also a short video showing Herby and Vincent at this link.

 

Yesterday Vincent appeared on Michael Drucker's new TV show, which will be aired in France on Sunday.

Six months after its French premiere in August, the DVD for Demain des l'aube will become available in France on February 3, 2010. Vincent recently spoke warmly about his relationship with director Denis Dercourt - "This is a director whom I admire greatly.  His screenplay is organized somewhat like a musical score where each note in its place. I like it because I like the detailed work." Both director and actor have traveled together to promote the film over the past few months from Cannes to Brussels to Montreal to Taiwan and NYC. As some of you may recall, the working title was "Loin des balles" (Out of Bullets), which director/writer Denis used right up until the last day of shooting. He was never quite satisfied with the title, desiring a more intimate, lyrical one, perhaps from poetry. The producer presented him with the present title translated "Tomorrow at Dawn" from Victor Hugo. Denis immediately accepted. it. Vincent agrees it's a better title offering the aspect of promise.

In an interview last month, Vincent discussed his acting career. Over the past couple years he has often filmed abroad - Germany and Austria for "Avalanche", the United States for "Inhale", Italy for "Lo scandalo della Banca Romana", Spain for "Bruc", and Russia, Norway, Ukraine, England and Malaysia for "The Apocalypse Code". He says he enjoyed filming in Spain because he adores director Daniel Benmayor. Of course, he loves Italy, but also Russia, where, surprisingly, he has a loyal following. He notes that "Fanfan la tulipe" was a big success there. In China, it's the other "Fanfan" by Alexandre Jardin. His future plans include directing his third feature film based on the book, "Alone in Berlin", which he has acquired the rights to. The book, published in 1947, recounts the courageous acts of ordinary Germans during WW II. But before he tackles that project, he will wait for his wife Karine to shoot her first film called "Et si on changeait le monde", based on her own screenplay. He says  he's a great admirer of his wife's writing and looks forward to acting under her direction.  Production was to begin last April, but apparently it has been rescheduled for January of next year. When asked about his third volume of his "La Forêt" comics, which will be released on January 6, 2010, he replies, "I do lots of things, but eventually all the people I love and admire are key to everything."

Vincent will be among the guests at the upcoming In French Film Festival in New York City in early December. He will present the US premiere of Demain dès l'aube along with director Denis Dercourt. The film will be screened on Friday, December 4, for the opening night, followed by both a Q&A with the actor and director and a buffet gala dinner. The event will take place at the Florence Gould Hall. More information can be obtained at the festival web site.

With the United Nations Climate Change Conference about to take place in Copenhagen next month, Vincent participated in a campaign called "Tck Tck Tck: Time for Climate Justice", which was created to unite and mobilize people from around the world to raise awareness about the issues of climate change. ‘Tck Tck Tck’ symbolizes that time is ticking down and urgent action is needed for millions of people already suffering from climate change, and for those communities who will suffer most in the future. The organization aims to put pressure on political leaders at the Conference to reach a “fair, robust and binding” climate agreement to succeed the Kyoto Protocol. A web site was launched and many artists joined together to create a music video called "Beds are Burning". Click on the photo below to view the video.

On November 10th, Vincent arrived at Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan to spend three days in Taipei where his where his latest film, Demain des l'aube" was being featured.at the Golden Horse Film Festival. Director Denis Dercourt arrived a day later to participate in the publicity compaign for the film. This was not Vincent's first visit to the Chinese island. In 1994, "Queen Margot" was screened, receiving a widespread popular reception among audiences, and then in 2002, he returned with the first feature film he directed called "Peau d'ange". Wearing sunglasses, Vincent showed no signs of fatigue after the long flight and was typically cordial with reporters. He remarked that his memories lingered of  Taiwan's people and their enthusiasm so he was very happy to return. Having only eaten some snacks on the plane, Vincent admitted he was saving his hunger for the taste of Taiwanese cuisine with a visit to the Din Tai Fung restaurant, which specializes in Xiaolongbao (marketed as "dumplings" in the West).
 

County Magistrate Chou Hsi-wei said that during the festival, guests would be presented with a series of activities to allow a more diverse experience while in Taiwan. Among the activities planned were a tea party, a visit to the Beitou hot spring baths and a visit to the National Palace Museum to view the Emperor Yongzheng exhibition. Museum Director Chou Kung-shin apparently was amused by the antics of Vincent and Denis as they donned the elegant imperial robes from the Qing Dynasty. Wearing the costume of Emperor Yongzheng, Vincent said he was most impressed with the fact that the 40-year-old Emperor had 35 children. Some picture-taking then took place with Vincent sending them off to his family on his I-phone. Following the film screening, a Q&A was held at which time Vincent fielded many questions from the audience, personally handing the microphone to each of his fans, and at one point, he even sat directly in the audience to answer questions. The film will be released in Taiwan on December 11th. Be sure to check out all the festival photos. Video coverage can be viewed at the following links: Video 1, Video 2 and Video 3.

I don't know when Vincent had time to film another TV movie last month but somehow he obviously worked it into his schedule. The French film about love and betrayal is called L'épreuve and will be broadast on TF1 next year. Some folks wondered why Cristiana Reali and Vincent had never worked together since they both evoke romance and desire. Fortunately, a team of scriptwriters and directors felt it was time to "marry" these two talents via a 90-minute thriller directed by Charlotte Brandström. Here's a synopsis: Louise thought she would enjoy a holiday for a few perfect days in the south of France with her husband Paul. Suddenly he disappears when Louise discovers she is married to a former robber accused of murder. Her life is changed forever. Filming locations included Marseille and Aix-en-Provence.
 

Vincent and director Denis Dercourt visited Montreal last week to discuss their film, "Demain des l'aube," which recently premiered at the Montreal Festival du Nouveau Cinema. The film, which was an official selection in the Un Certain Regard category at the Cannes Film Festival this year, highlights a family drama in an unusual context. Vincent explains, "This film is about brotherhood. One brother (Matt) has managed his life and the other (Paul) has never cut the umbilical cord. It's quite disturbing, actually that there is a real world and an unreal world." The director adds, "I wanted to make this film a thriller and I wanted the viewer to be involved." Here are a few photos that appeared in the Montreal media.
 

On September 25th, Vincent was in Switzerland to receive an award. The Vaudoise Foundation for Culture recognizes renowned artists each year with scholarships and prizes. Vincent was awarded the prix du Rayonnement in the amount of 20,000 Swiss francs (about $20,000). The photo to the left. shows him posing with the other award recipients. I'll capsulize some of the comments from the press: First of all, he described receiving the award as "damn fun!". Born in Lausanne in 1964, he grew up between Penthaz and Cheseaux. After  an apprenticeship as a photographer, he left the shores of Lake Geneva to the quays of the Seine to become an actor. Like his father, who left Spain in search of a better life, Vincent had dreams as well. In a window on the Rue du Petit-Chênein in Lausanne, there is a portrait of Vincent taken the eve of his departure. He says,  "When I pass by this picture, I see a young man. Another man.... At the time, I dreamed of New York, but I did not speak English and I had no money. "

His career was meteoric in the 1990s with films such as Cyrano de Bergerac, Indochine and Queen Margot. His style and seduction in several costume films brought him fame. Vincent has always remembered the canton of Vaud and he could have easily forgotten his roots and those first stirrings of his childhood. Instead, he claims his memories are strong and he remains committed to his birthplace. Vincent  speaks about his childhood memories with great enthusiasm and a little melancholy. He says, "I am very attached to my Swiss roots. They include a sacred place for me - the farm of my childhood friend near Cheseaux." Vincent returns to Switzerland regularly as his family still lives there.

His life's journey has definitely been one of curiosity, never losing his taste for risk-taking. Besides his work as an actor and director, he went on to pursue his passion for writing and is now the author of three volumes of the comic book, "La Forêt". The award from the Vaudoise Foundation recognizes Vincent as an ambassador of the canton of Vaud and salutes his contribution to the cultural world.

For checking out what's on TV this month featuring Vincent, visit TV Now by clicking on the icon. 

For previous news & photos, visit the following pages:

2009: January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October

2008: January-April, May-September, October-December

2007: January-March, April/May, June/July, September/October, November/December

2006: January-May, Summer, September/October, November/December

2005: January/February, March/April, May-August. September-December

2004: January/February, March/April, May ,  June , July/August , September , October , November , December  

2003: January , February , March , April , May , June , July , August , September , October , November/December

2002: January , February , March/April , May , Summer , September , October , November/December

2001: January/February ,  March/April, May/June, July/August,  September/October , November/December

2000:  January/February,  March , April , May , June , Summer , September , October , November , December

1999:  Summer, September/October, November/December