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Jeunets Next Movie To Explore Sex and Sensuality with Amelie Spirit

French helmer also finishing 3D toon about poetry-spouting animals

French helmer Jean-Pierre Jeunet, (“Amelie,” “The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet”) is prepping a new feature film, co-scripted with his long-time collaborator, Guillaume Laurant, in which he’ll explore the theme of sex and sensuality, in a universe that is reminiscent of the spirit of “Amelie.”

Talking at December’s Marrakech Festival, he said he’s been pondering making a film about this topic for several years. His recent experience of directing the pilot episode of TV series “Casanova” for Amazon Studios whetted his appetite for directing another film about sex and sensuality, but this time in a more quirky and idiosyncratic manner.

“’Casanova’ was obviously a bit about sex, and I loved directing this historical costume drama. It made me want to make another film about this subject. But with a different approach. I want to make something that is original and explores sexuality and sensuality, using fantasy and imagination.”

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“Casanova” sported a $10 million budget, was shot in 22 days in Venice, Versailles and Budapest, with a cast including Diego Luna and Miranda Richardson. Jeunet says that it was a great experience. In addition to enjoying making the seg, he said he loved sharing a common love for soccer with thesp Luna.

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The preparation for “Casanova” took place in London. It was a true “eye-opener”. “There are so many great actors available for each project.”

For his new project, Jeunet and Laurant have been collecting souvenirs and anecdotes related to sex. “We used the same approach for ‘Amelie’,” he explained. “For example, that’s how we came up with the idea of the gnome that travels around the world. We have a good sense of scent for interesting tidbits, a bit like a dog who knows where to find truffles.”

Jeunet once again aims to push the envelope in terms of filmmaking techniques. But at present he is focusing on the screenplay. He doesn’t discard the possibility of returning to his love of exploring a retro aesthetic, while giving the film a modern, techno twist.

“I love to play with technology,” he says. “I’m fascinated by the past and vintage style. But I’m not locked into the past. I like to reproduce the past using the most modern visual effects.”

Unlike “Amelie,” which provided a hyper-realistic, color-drenched image of Paris, Jeunet will set his next project in Provence.

“I divide my time between Montmartre and Provence,” he explains. “I’d like to explore the colors and settings of the countryside near Aix-en-Provence.”

This is relatively unexplored territory for his style of filmmaking, Jeunet said. Peter Mayle’s 1989 novel, “A Year in Provence,” caught the public’s imagination and led many English people to move to the zone, he added. He now aims to bring his own visual approach.

Jeunet has several actors in mind for the project. But “they don’t know yet, so I can’t reveal their names.”

Alongside this project, Jeunet plans to stage an exhibition of memorabilia – including storyboards, set décor, photos, costumes, storyboards and “many beautiful objects” – that he has collected from his past films, ranging from “Amelie,” and “City of Lost Children” to “Alien Resurrected.” He is currently looking for an exhibition space in Paris.

Jeunet is also directing a short 3D animation project, lasting one minute and forty seconds, which he comented  he is making for his own pleasure, and will either be distributed directly online, via his website, or on TV. The starting point for the project is small sculptures of crazy-looking animals that Jeunet makes from objects found in nature.

He gave photos of these objects to Romain Segaud, who co-ordinated the animation for Jeunet’s 2009 comedy “Micmacs,” who then brought them to life. During the short film, the animals will recite lines of poetry written by French poet and screenwriter, Jacques Prévert, one of Jeunet’s idols. The helmer has asked 30 actors to read the lines – including Matthieu Kassowitz and Audrey Tautou – each of which will read only one or two lines.

Jeunet’s interest in Prévert is no accident. Prévert was the long-standing screenwriter of French director Marcel Carné, and their joint works include the 1945 classic “Les Enfants du Paradis” (Children of Paradise).  Jeunet considers that he belongs to this French filmmaking tradition – which dates back to George Melies and includes the oeuvre of Carné and Prévert. He also has a collection of their original accessories from Carné-Prévert productions, including set paintings.

“I love directors who have a strong vision of the world, people like Tim Burton, David Lynch and Martin Scorsese. By contrast, I don’t like films that are excessively realist, although I do enjoy this quality in documentaries.”

This approach has brought him fans and also critics within the world of French cinema. “It’s a bit like contemporary art. Critics like works that are abstract or conceptual. If a work is figurative and well done, they disdain it. You find the same attitude towards contemporary cinema. Many critics will prefer a film with bad lighting and technical flaws, than something that’s well done.” He says that the late French producer Daniel Toscan du Plantier, who was the founding inspiration for the Marrakech Film Festival, one day told him that “Amelie” was like a Carné-Prévert production with new technology. For Jeunet, there could be no higher accolade.

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