Guillaume DE FONTENAY
Film director

Guillaume received a writing grant for his next feature film. 

What is your artistic background ?
I was passionate about theatre to begin with, starting as a technician, then as an assistant director to Gilles Maheu with Carbone 14. I then founded my theatre company, Ex-Voto. And then I understood that I wanted to make films to get out of certain constraints inherent in theatre. I learned the trade by working and eventually becoming a director of advertising campaigns in America and Europe. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts entrusted me with the set design for the Andy Warhol Live exhibition. Between theatre, scenography, art direction and through advertising, I have developed a meticulous and rigorous visual grammar in order to respond specifically and as accurately as possible to each of the projects I work on. After directing two short films, I worked on my first feature film, Sympathy for the Devil,in 2005 (a French-majority co-production with Canada). Shooting finally began in February 2018. Sympathy for the Devilwas entirely shot in Sarajevo.   

How do you see your profession today ?
It took us 14 years to edit Sympathy for the Devil. We wrote the screenplay with the collaboration of Paul Marchand until March 2009. Then it was a struggle to find the right partners and to manage to gather a minimum budget around a subject that was not very attractive to most of those we met with. In these circumstances, I can only say that it is an extremely difficult and increasingly difficult environment; that one must be patient and persevering to succeed in expressing oneself; that of course everything is changing; that I have made important contacts with people who are absolutely passionate about cinema. These moments are like family celebrations, where we get together around a story and a common love for the 7th art.

How do you see yourself in five years ? In 10 years ?
I hope with all my heart that I will have the immense privilege of being able to work tirelessly with sensitive and intelligent people on exciting and relevant subjects.
"The dream of a better world, even if the dream is obscene and turbulent. » *
*Paul Marchand, Sympathie pour le Diable, Editions Stock

This interview was conducted in 2020
Photo credit: Kamila K. Stanley