François GOETGHEBEUR et Nicolas LEBRUN
Film directors

François and Nicolas received a writing grant for their next short film.

Interview of François Goetghebeur
What is your artistic background ?
I really started with production (LGM) but quite quickly I was entrusted with the production of music recordings and documentaries. After a short time at EuropaCorp with Pierre-Ange LePogam and Luc Besson, it was essentially Francetélévision that invited me to try and reinvent certain television genres (prime-time entertainment) by injecting fictional parts into them. Along the way, there was Jacques Serres, a short film we made as part of the 48H Film Project which won us the prize for best film in Los Angeles, winning against several thousand films from all over the world. As long as fiction is involved, Nicolas and I have not been separated for 30 years now! 

How do you see your profession today ?
Cinema is mainly financed by television and I feel that. But our meetings with the producers who make films in France today are encouraging. 

How do you see yourself in 5 years ? In 10 years ?
Older... and I still hope to be as motivated as ever to write and direct fiction that I like!

Interview of Nicolas Lebrun
What is your artistic background ?
I started out as an editor, but quite quickly I moved on to directing, for documentaries, institutional films or portraits. In 2013 and 2014, with my sidekick François, I took the plunge into fiction by directing two short films that were very well received. Very good experiences that encourage us to continue along this path.

How do you see your profession today ?
One hears that the market is complicated, that there is less money, less risk-taking... but however much I rummaged through the INA archives, I never found an interview with a director declaring that a film is something simple to put together. There will always be opportunities. It's up to us to know how to seize them.

How do you see yourself in 5 years ? In 10 years ?
I don't do long-term prophecies. My only view is the next objective, the next project. In 10 years’ time? Saying to oneself "I've arrived where I wanted to be", that's not bad, but saying "I never thought I'd get there" is much better!

This interview was conducted in 2014
Photo credit: Emilie Arfeuil