CineComedies Lab
2022

For the first time, the CineComedies Lab is (also) coming to Liege!

Benoît Mariage (Les Convoyeurs Attendent, L’Autre, Les Rayures du Zèbre…) sponsors this edition, between Lille and Liège.

ANGIE & CIE by Vanessa Le Reste
CATARINA by Pierre Amstutz Roch
L’AMOUR A DUNKERQUE by Olivier Levallois
SOLO by Emma Degoutte and Tommy Weber
WAPDOO WAP by Théophile Jonglez

The Belgian writer and director Benoît Mariage was the sponsor of the^4th edition of the CineComedies Lab.

Benoît Mariage made his directorial debut for Strip-Teasethe famous RTBF magazine. At the same time, he produces and directs numerous documentaries, mainly in Africa. At the age of 36, he made his first fiction film, Le Signaleur, a short film that received the Grand Prix de la Semaine de la Critique in Cannes in 1997. His first feature film, Les Convoyeurs Attendent (1998), was selected́ at the Directors’ Fortnight and won awards at numerous international festivals. This was followed by L’Autre (2003), Cow-Boy (2008) and Les Rayures du Zèbre (2013). His latest film, Habib, was released in autumn 2022.

How did you perceive the CineComedies Lab before participating?

I didn’t know him very well. I knew I would have to read long synopses and speak at the beginning of a workshop. It’s not easy: at the Institute of Audiovisual Arts (IAD), I give workshops lasting a month and a half, where the participants are together every day. For the CineComedies Lab residency, on the other hand, 5 candidates were waiting for my opinion on their synopses: I had to get into the intimacy of their projects, be sincere and encourage positive energy. I met them all in Liege, where they had to pitch to producers. Comedy is very special. As a spectator, one can like one genre and a little less another, the tastes of my neighbor will not necessarily be mine. And yet, comedy must make people laugh, otherwise the penalty is immediate, unlike non-comedies, which are more likely to be given the benefit of the doubt. It is important for the author to have confidence in the laughter he will try to provoke. He has to be convinced, just like you are when you tell a joke.

Is the CineComedies Lab useful?

Yes ! I met the authors at the beginning of the residency, I saw them again at the end. Between the two, they were supported and accompanied by Fadette Drouard. In Liège, I found them to have an invigorating and positive energy. One of the difficulties of writing is the solitude, the depressing side of being alone in front of your computer without being able to share. With the CineComedies Lab, writers can interact while working, live in buddy intimacy. I felt they were happy with the experience, and I have no doubt that in the future they will rely on each other for other projects. I’m curious to see, in a year’s time, which of them will have moved on to production.

Any advice for those who would like to start writing a comedy script?

Go for it! It sounds silly, but you have to dare to go for it. Read a lot of scripts, watch comedies. Watching a movie you like, that you feel close to, for the first time. Then watch it again, two or three times, to understand what works, why we like it, why we laugh, to understand the DNA. Sharpen your observation skills and observe life, too: you’re never as good as when you tell what’s going on around you. Then, start with a short film. Find someone to read it, so you’re not alone. And, once you are satisfied with your work, find a producer. It’s not easy, but it’s a leap of faith. A bit like the first time you go up on the big diving board at the pool…

Yann Marchet (notably) co-founded the Lille CineComedies Festival with Jérémie Imbert in 2018.

“From the very first edition, we wanted to showcase the diverse talents of the comedy world. The forgotten ones, the big names, the little nuggets,” he recalls. “As we also wanted to be in touch with the present, we added a few previews. Then there was the future: starting in 2019, we imagined a writing residency for the talents of tomorrow. A setting and time for authors to create their projects. A time to share, too. A good comedy is easier to miss than a drama: we had to put all the chances on their side.”

How did the CineComedies Lab come to Liege?

After the Rencontres professionnelles de 2021, attended by Fadette Drouard, our director of writing, Philippe Reynaert excelled in his matchmaking activity by introducing us to the Fab Four of the FIFCL. They quickly agreed to help us give the CineComedies Lab a European scope… starting with Belgium, to work with people who speak the same language as us! In addition, Belgium has a tradition of humor, strong, particular and singular at the same time. The strange thing is that Belgium produces more dramas than comedies, and its comedians come to work in France…

What do you retain from this first collaboration? What do you expect from the following?

This first experience enabled us to add another brick to the writing residency: we increased the number of sessions from 2 to 3, with the third and final session consisting of participants pitching to producers at the FIFCL, after spending 3 days in Liège. The projects became more mature: some had advanced so far that I hardly recognized them. It is a truly enriching experience, which we want to continue and strengthen before opening it to other French-speaking countries. We had a Swiss candidate this year! We’re delighted to be working with the FIFCL team, and look forward to taking the development a step further. Create white cards perhaps, welcome Liège in Lille? Together, we’ll see how we can improve the residence in the short and medium term, and then we’ll build bridges…

What will be the major challenges for comedy cinema in the years to come?

What makes a good comedy is first and foremost the quality of the story, and the ability to surprise and stand out from the crowd. It must be well written, too, to sublimate the acting. The problem with most of the scenarios is that they are not finished enough, due to lack of time. Of audacity too, sometimes. Comedy is a transgressive genre that goes against the politically correct. And that seems to be more difficult at the moment: artists are censoring themselves, instead of being free in their language and countering a certain type of thinking in a funny, light-hearted way.

And in theaters?

I’m convinced that a comedy should be watched by more than one person. It is not an individual art, it is a moment of sharing. Comedy is therefore a way of attracting the public back into the theaters. Laughing together is the leitmotiv of our festival. A comical scene will not have the same impact depending on whether you see it alone in your living room or in a room full of spectators.

Vanessa Le Reste started her career as a scriptwriter (continuity) for several feature films and TV series.

On the advice of filmmakers such as Alain Resnais and Pascal Bonitzer, she then concentrated on writing. She is also a director and producer.

How and why did you turn to the CineComedies Lab?

I had a project, developed into a series, which I really liked, but which didn’t come to fruition, as if it was missing something. I didn’t have much distance left when I found out about the Lab announcement. I thought “what if I made it into a feature film, or a unit? I rewrote it, sent it in and was selected.

How did the residency go?

Like a big burst of creative energy! While I was working on another series, this interlude helped me to refocus on Angie & Co, to see what was missing and what was good about my project. Fadette Drouard and Benoît Mariage put things straight, gave their feelings and shared their expertise. The Lab allowed me to give a real shape to this project. I come from auteur cinema, and I felt a bit alone and helpless in front of what I refused to see as a “rom com”. This residency was like saying “if you’re going to do it, do it right”. I did it, I had a lot of fun and I realized that, contrary to what I thought, not all comedy writers are great depressives: the 4 boys I shared this residency with were very funny, coming from very different universes and styles. We exchanged a lot: the residency also consists in reading the projects of the others, to give them a constructive feedback. The week in Belgium, at the time of the FIFCL, was also very productive: when the objective is to pitch in front of professionals, you concentrate on the essentials, reduce and simplify. And orality allows to express other things, to go faster than writing, in front of the representatives of big houses. What’s more, we were magnificently welcomed!

What next?

Since I was working on another project at the same time, I wasn’t able to send everything right after the FIFCL, but Angie & Cie went to various producers I met in Liège. I took advantage of my second project, presented in Paris, to continue talking about it, since I had mastered the pitch! What would be great is for Angie & Cie to be screened at a future FIFCL: it would be a great way of bringing things full circle!

Trainer, scriptwriter, script doctor, Olivier Levallois studied at the Conservatoire Européen d’Ecriture Audiovisuelle de Paris.

He works for various film and TV production companies and has been teaching characterization, comedy writing and script doctoring for the past 10 years.

How and why did you turn to the CineComedies Lab?

The more I taught, the more I questioned and strengthened the tools of comedy, to the point where I wanted to be a little less of a trainer and a little more of a scriptwriter. There are few proposals, in France, that specifically address comedy, with the quality of the Lab. It is not just a residency: it creates other links, other things, other dynamics… It was, moreover, associated with the Liège International Comedy Film Festival, this year! I applied.

How did the residency go?

The basis of a residency is to offer time, during which you can devote yourself entirely to writing. That’s already precious. I spent hours thinking without being disturbed, in a heritage place, tinged with the history of the miners and conducive to creation. At first, we all worked alone, each in his own corner, even if our crossed views on the texts were interesting. Fadette Drouard’s feedback was very important, especially concerning the characters: she has a very particular approach, she is very demanding about them. As for Benoît Mariage, who spent a whole day with us, he was very involved, very fair in his criticisms without being too kind, without sacrificing the intention behind the project either. We were very lucky.

What next?

Liège was the most interesting week of the residency, in many ways. Eight hours a day working on our pitches as much as anyone else’s strengthens the bond. Sharing the same feeling of fear, of risk, too. The Festival itself offered a welcome interlude. I met 6 or 7 people there who were interested in “Love in Dunkerque”, 2 of whom were very enthusiastic. It seems that yes, my scenario is on the rails…

Are you a (young) screenwriter
and would like to find out more?