Director Albert Serra premiered his unconventional documentary Seize moments de ma vie (Sixteen Moments of My Life) out of competition at the Locarno Film Festival, capturing a one-off performance by screen legend Ingrid Caven at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris, according to statements given to Variety.
Inside the Collaboration Between Albert Serra and Ingrid Caven
The project pairs Caven with Molforts, the Catalan musicians who provide soundtracks for Serra’s films. Caven, a prominent actress in 1960s and 1970s European cinema and the muse and frequent collaborator of her sometime husband, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, has maintained a fifteen-year friendship with the Spanish director. Rather than working face-to-face, the musicians and Caven collaborated remotely. According to Serra, the musicians sent recorded tracks on CDs, and Caven improvised her vocals without direct communication.
“Over the years the musicians and Caven wrote 16 songs, going back and forth. All this process, but they didn’t communicate directly. This is the point. They only communicate through the music itself. They didn’t talk,” Serra told Variety.
Serra noted that during the live performance, he operated much like an MC, stationed where he could barely see the stage. This hands-off approach mirrors his narrative filmmaking style on projects like Liberté and Pacifiction, where he relies on minimal communication with his actors to foster spontaneous, subconscious performances.
Rejecting Conventional Performance Documentaries
Sticking to his distinct artistic vision, Serra deliberately omitted crowd shots and cut-aways from the final cut of Sixteen Moments of My Life. Following his previous documentary Afternoons of Solitude, which focused entirely on a young bullfighter, the new film concentrates solely on the stage performers. “You have genius musicians on stage, and you want me to shoot some idiots watching them? No,” Serra stated.
The musical style blends autobiography with elements of opera, cabaret, and Edith Piaff. Highlighting the fragility of live art, Serra observed that the finality of a live performance mirrors the nature of cinema itself. “Every performance is kind of life and death, and it’s unique: it’s fatality. Cinema is perfect for that, because cinema has the same logic,” he explained.
Future Projects: From Musical Comedy to Political Economics
Looking ahead, Serra expressed interest in directing a light, positive musical comedy in the style of Brigadoon to contrast with his traditionally heavier work. He also noted a desire to have directed Elvis Presley in dramatic roles and Maria Callas in light comedies, pointing to his past success in eliciting iconic performances from actors like Jean-Pierre Léaud in The Death of Louis XIV and Benoît Magimel in Pacifiction.
Did you know? Serra insists that Benoît Magimel delivered “the best performance of his career” in the film Pacifiction.
Meanwhile, Serra has returned to the editing suite to finish his upcoming feature, Out of This World, which he expects to complete by the end of the year. The film is currently 65% finished, according to the director.
Serra clarified that the project functions as a drama centered on economics rather than a direct war film.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Seize moments de ma vie about?
The film documents a one-off live performance by actress and singer Ingrid Caven alongside Catalan band Molforts at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris.
Who stars in Albert Serra’s upcoming film Out of This World?
How did Ingrid Caven and the musicians collaborate on the music?
According to Serra, the musicians sent instrumental tracks to Caven via CDs over several years, and she improvised her vocals without ever communicating directly with them.
Where did Seize moments de ma vie premiere?
The film premiered out of competition at the Locarno Film Festival.
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