(Clockwise from left) Marin Karmitz with film-makers Claude Chabrol, Krzysztof Kieslowski and Alain Resnais
Au Revoir Les Enfants
company recently made its first foray outside of France with the acquisition of Cinesur, Spain’s third biggest chain. As well as building the MK2 circuit, Karmitz is known internationally as one of France’s most prolific arthouse producers. Abbas Kiarostami, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Jean-Luc Godard, the Taviani brothers, Michael Haneke, Claude Chabrol, Hiner Saleem and Raphael Nadjari are just some of the 50-plus film-makers for whom Karmitz has produced. “I’ve always seen my role as making visible what was invisible. It’s a complicated process,” he says, citing Louis Malle’s Au Revoir Les Enfants, Jean-Luc Godard’s Every Man For Himself (Sauve Qui Peut) and Claude Chabrol’s Poulet Au Vinaigre as films that may not have made it to the big screen without his support. “These are films that were refused by everyone but went on to be hits,” Karmitz
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Three Colours: Blue
says. “Sometimes you have to fight against mediocrity and banality and not get too comfortable. It’s that which kills creativity.” A colourful collaborator One of Karmitz’s most creative collaborations was with the late Kieslowski, whose Three Colours trilogy Karmitz produced. “I put the same amount of energy and emotional charge into every film I produce,” Karmitz says. “It’s the human relationships, the adventures I have with the directors that have been important. I had a strong relationship with Kieslowski — I didn’t feel like producing any more after he died — and more recently with Kiarostami these last 10 years.” In 2005, Karmitz handed over control of the day-to-day running of his company to sons Nathanael and Elisha. Nathanael is CEO while Elisha is the head of MK2
MK2’s Cinema Paradiso event in the Grand Palais, Paris
Agency, which specialises in events, consulting, publishing and advertising. “The boys are both passionate about the business and capable. If that had not been the case, I would have sold up,” says Karmitz. “We learn a lot from one another. I try to teach them everything that I’ve learned over the years but they teach me a lot of new stuff too.” He cites MK2’s Cinema Paradiso event in June 2013 — held in the Grand Palais exhibition space at the end of the Champs Elysées in Paris and which was masterminded by Elisha — as something he would never have been capable of pulling off. The drive-in themed operation featuring screenings, dance nights, champagne soirées and restaurants drew some 80,000 people over 10 days. “I was over in America recently and people who had seen it or read about it were blown away by the concept,” says Karmitz.
In February 2013, the company closed down its distribution division and signed a servicing deal with Diaphana Films. It also announced it was pulling out of production following the disappointing boxoffice performance of films including On The Road and Like Someone In Love. Karmitz says the company will get back into production but in a different way. The international sales operation remains strong. “At the time, we were losing our identity, producing and acquiring too many films just to feed the distribution machine,” he says. “We decided to stop everything in order to return to basics. We will continue to support directors that we like — either through taking on international sales, co-producing or backing in some way — but in a more focused, elitist way. We’ve gone back to s our roots.” n
July 13-14, 2014 Screen International at Jerusalem 5