A Cinephile's Labyrinth With Michel Gondry By Tiffany Limos
What pride for us when two of our beloved film makers meet in a Montmartre video club with a background music taken from Kitsuné Parisien 3!
Michel Gondry was shot by Tiffany Limos in this short film delicately called “A Cinephile’s Labyrinth”, setted in music with Joris Delacroix “Air France” track which is one of the highlights of our Kitsuné Parisien 3 compilation.
Below, find out the video and our interview of the tremendous Tiffany Limos, director of the video and also a close friend of the house.
How did you get the idea of this short film with Michel Gondry?
I have been a collaborator of Michel’s for a decade now, I hadn’t talked to him in a while and I was going to Paris… so I called him up and asked him to shoot something with me, he was interested. He took me to Video Club de La Butte when we were working on The Science of Sleep together, its right next door to his flat in Paris. It seemed like a relaxed environment and Nowness wanted a video about inspiration… so I thought it was perfect.
Are you a video club devotee?
I was born a cinephile. My father is a true cinephile and I was raised in a video club as a child. My first friends were clerks in a video store. I am a true video club devotee.
Do you like to work with Michel Gondry? Why?
Have you ever imagined that one day you’ll find yourself on the cover of a video club DVD?
When I was a little kid I knew I would be a director or someone in the cinema business. It has been a life long passion of mine, this isn’t something that happened over night. I thought all things were possible. I now imagine having my own films that I’ve directed, written, and/or produced in a video club.
How would you describe yourself as a filmmaker?
I’m a storyteller. The truth is important to me. I’m very much influenced by W. Eugene Smith and Larry Clark’s philosophy and psychology about telling “honest” stories.
Which films stimulated you to play and shoot?
There are too many films to name. I love Mizuguchi and of course Godard. I love all the Filipino legendary directors such as Gerry de Leon, Eddie Romero, Cirio H. Santiago, Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal, and Mike de Leon… They are some of my greatest inspirations to direct films. The modern day directors whom I love are: Larry Clark, Quentin Tarantino, Michel Gondry, Woody Allen, Spike Lee… All these directors I’ve apprenticed for and worked for. And there are many more directors that I’ve worked with, and really, I have no judgement on who is better or worse, I love everyone in cinema and they all inspire me.
What is the overall message behind this film?
To support your local video stores. Not having these video stores around will mess up the equilibrium of cinema. They are becoming extinct now.
Photos credit: Tiffany Limos.