Kong is the emblem of the Alpe d’Huez International Comedy Film Festival. Since 2016, this gorilla – which comes in several colors depending on the prizes – has been the trophy awarded to the winners. The artist behind this creation, Richard Orlinsky, intends to participate, on his own scale, in the celebration of comedy and make his art even more visible. Over 150 trophies were awarded in eight years.
Can you remind me how your cooperation with the festival began?
Richard Orlinsky: The creators, Frédéric Casol and Clément Lemoine, were looking for something more modern and, above all, they wanted the winners to take home the prizes. I make a lot of titles and I know people prefer quality over a piece of plastic or a gazelle horn. So they went to Valerie Damidot, who I know, and she contacted me. We reinterpreted the cup by doing something fun.
It is special to make a cup for cinema. What does this mean to you?
This is the way to escape, escape. I follow Fernandel, Burville, De Funes comics, so I’ve always had that link. I also borrowed a lot of sculptures to decorate comedy films, for example, Michael Yun’s Divorce Club, Rem Khérich’s Paris at Any Price, La Vérité si je mens! also.
I always find the accessibility and popularity of art interesting. Also in Michaël Youn’s BDE, the burning chalet explodes and only one thing remains: one of my sculptures, the panther.
What material is this bowl made of?
It’s epoxy (polyepoxy, editor’s note) and has gold or silver chrome paint on top, depending on the color. There are two new colors for this 27th edition. They decided to give out new prizes, so I wanted to offer much more vibrant and pop colors, yellow and blue. It’s one of those comedy festivals, so it seemed important to me to bring something light.
What is the selling price of the Alpe d’Huez trophy?
Sometimes there are production houses that want to have a trophy in their office, so we sold some. About 25,000 euros. It can vary from 25 to 35,000, depending on the finish and years.
What’s your favorite comedy?
Dinner for idiots! The cast is incredible, they all give some of the best performances of their careers. They all play to the millimeter. This is from the great Francis Weber.
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.
