NEWS: NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009

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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.

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.