27/11/2008

The death on Tuesday, November 25 of French producer Christian Fechner, at age 64, brought a flood of tributes yesterday from the highest echelons of the State as well as major representatives of the French film industry.

The level of reaction reflects the box office popularity of the films produced by Fechner, which garnered a total of 150m admissions in France and 500m internationally. The films enjoyed immense success, the latest hit being Patrice Leconte’s My Best Friend [+see also:
trailer
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Among the 50 or so features produced by Fechner, comedies are a recurring presence. These include his debut films starring “Les Quatre Charlots” and Louis de Funès (such as The Wing and the Thigh), Jean-Marie Poiré’s Papy fait de la résistance (“Papy is a Resistance Fighter”, 1983), Michel Blanc’s Marche à l'ombre (“Walk in the Shadows”, 1984), Merzak Allouache’s Chouchou (2003), and the seven films made with Leconte (Viens chez moi, j'habite chez une copine, Les spécialistes, Girl on the Bridge, etc).

The producer’s filmography also features works such as Bruno Nuytten’s Camille Claudel (1988) and Leos Carax’s The Lovers on the Bridge (1991).

French president Nicolas Sarkozy celebrated the memory of a "great producer, whose discretion was equal to his formidable talent" and Culture Minister Christine Albanel spoke of "a wonderful magician of the cinema". Meanwhile Véronique Cayla – director general of the National Film Centre (CNC) – paid homage to "his iconoclastic and endearing personality".

Alain Terzian – president of the Cesar Academy – said that Fechner was "a reference for producers". "His true passion for film, his humility, his generosity, his love of actors and his determination to see his dreams through made him a living legend. All this for the pleasure of audiences who never deserted him and brought him 40 years of success."

(Translated from French)