Barratier out to promote French cinema

Barratier out to promote French cinema

French director Christophe Barratier, who won several awards for
his first feature film Les Choristes (The Chorus), acknowledged
that in Indonesia the audience awareness of French films was
"very poor".

"So when Jakarta's French Embassy invited me to attend the
opening of the French Film Festival, I said OK, why not," he said
at the Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) Arts Center in Jakarta Friday.

The 10th annual festival this year opened with Barratier's
2004 film, Les Choristes, a drama about how music changed the
lives of troubled boys at a correctional school.

The movie, which is full of music, received a warm reception
from the audience who packed the Graha Bakti Budaya building in
TIM.

Before becoming a filmmaker, Barratier was a musician although
he was born into a family with a strong background in theater and
film.

"But at 22, 23, I started to become attracted to cinema," said
Barratier, who is now 42 years old.

Starting work as a screenwriter, he moved on to producing and
directing.

"Being director is more fun than being a musician. The life of
a musician is lonely work, while a director deals with a lot of
people," he said.

However, Barratier has not abandoned music. Along with
directing Les Choristes, he also composed some songs and lyrics
for the film.

"In film, music is a principle," Barratier said.

After the success of Les Choristes, he has had offers to
direct two feature films -- one a comedy, the other a historical
drama.

"But I have to choose only one of them. It won't be possible
to do both," he said. --JP