01/10/2003

The new head at the Cinémathèque française (the French National Film Library), has been appointed. He’s the director-producer Claude Berri, whose unanimously agreed appointment yesterday has confirmed the rumours circulating about his new position. He takes over from the producer Humbert Balsan and the president of the Tolosa Film Library, Martine Offroy, who had been temporarily in charge following Jean-Charles Tacchella’s resignation last April. Yesterday’s meeting appointed both Balsan and Offroy as vice presidents. In addition, the Film Library’s board of management has elected Laurent Heynemann and Jean-Michel Arnold to the positions of secretary general. The reform of the organisation, approved on September 22, together with the appointment of this new team, marks the end of a long period of crisis. Now Claude Berri and Serge Toubiana (the director general) have to prepare for the changes coming up for the Film Library, which is set to move to rue de Bercy in Spring 2005.

For Claude Berri, the presidency of the Film Library is an institutional appointment which crowns a very successful career. He won an Oscar for a short film in 1962 and then he had hits with famous feature films like Tchao Pantin in 1980, Jean de Florette (which won a BAFTA for Best Film in 1986) and Germinal in 1993. Added to this, his film A Housekeeper, released in France in November 2002 has been seen by 874,000 people. He has had similar successes for his work as a producer, with Tess by Roman Polanski in 1979, Madman at War by Dino Risi in 1985, Queen Margot by Patrice Chéreau in 1994, The Lover and The Bear by Jean-Jacques Annaud, and more recently My Wife is an actress by Yvan Attal, without forgetting the two international blockbusters following the adventures of Asterix & Obelix. Claude Berri is continuing this success working with his production company, Hirsch, which will be distributing Les sentiments by Noémie Lvovsky from November 5.

(Translated from French)