He is one of the biggest names in American independent cinema, directing such iconic films as Velvet Goldmine, Paradise of Paradise and Carol…
Todd Haynes, who had a major retrospective at the Center Pompidou last May, about which he gave us a long interview, at the same time as being selected for competition in Cannes from May to December, has returned to France in recent days. .
Todd Haynes on the Deauville boards
He arrived without Natalie Portman, who, like him, was originally scheduled to attend the Deauville American Film Festival and promote the film. Due to the actors’ and writers’ strike in Hollywood, his new movie co-star Julianne Moore has to cancel.
- Natalie Portman and Jude Law refused to participate in the Deauville festival
So we interviewed Todd Haynes about the strike. Is he optimistic about progress in the talks? Here is his answer.
“I think a solution to this strike will be found for obvious reasons, be it financial, economic or pragmatic. When money rules everything, studios have to make money, actors have to make money, writers have to make money. Studios should be able to distribute their products. Of course, this will work itself out eventually.
How long ? Will there be much resistance? How much persistence? how many accounts I have no idea. Any mediation or compromise implies that the various parties will not be completely satisfied with the outcome. But we need to know how to say “let’s sit at the table and move forward.” There will be a resolution.“
- Historic double strike in Hollywood: actors join screenwriters, production of films and series in jeopardy
One of the issues of this strike is artificial intelligence (AI), which is seen as a threat to the future of artists, screenwriters, but also actors among others.
“Personally, I’m not that paralyzed by anxiety over AI. Todd Haynes continues at our microphone. Because I have high hopes for how it can help science and medical research, for example. I do not see this as a direct threat to creativity, to the creative mind. I don’t think the computer can replace the creative process so easily. Creation exists with mistakes and disorder. This is something that a computer cannot create.”
If there was a formula for making a great money-making blockbuster, Hollywood would have done it by now
Pointing out that we can’t just think in terms of “business” to create, Todd Haynes adds:
“Hollywood has always strived to create the perfect movie, from its very beginnings in the 1910s, then the talkies. If there was a formula for creating the perfect money-making blockbuster, he would have worked it out by now. That’s not how it works. You can’t do that. It all happens by chance.“

Richard Linklater at the Venice Film Festival
More recently, director Richard Linklater, who made his debut with Todd Haynes, first with Slacker and second with Poison, had some strong remarks about independent cinema and the fact that it was “Exploded with algorithms“.”No quality or art can come from an algorithm. point– says Todd Haynes at our microphone.This is certainly true of independent cinema, of our era of cinema. But this also applies to all cinema. All the Hollywood movies, the Golden Age movies, the Alfred Hitchcock movies… all the great movies that everyone loved couldn’t come out of the algorithm.“
To recall, Richard Linklater shared his concerns about the state of independent cinema. “I feel like it’s gone with the wind – or the algorithm. When I explain this to some of my contemporaries, with whom I worked in the 1990s, we say to each other: “Oh my God, we could never do that today.”
May DecemberTodd Haynes’ 10th feature film will be released in France on January 24, 2024. Starring Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman and Charles Melton. To prepare for a new role, he comes to meet the famous actress he plays on screen, whose love life lit up the tabloids and shocked the country 20 years earlier.
Comments collected in Paris, September 12, 2023
Source: Allocine

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.