“Olivier Marchal, a nice and approachable man”: Béziers filmmaker Jean-Christophe Gonon was a member of the jury of the SMR13 festival

Jean-Christophe Gonon était membre du jury présidé par olivier Marchal, au Festival international du film indépendant SMR13. Fabienne Saez

Le cinéaste Jean-Christophe Gonon, auteur du documentaire multiprimé "10 rounds" revient sur son expérience de juré au Festival international du film indépendant SMR13 et parle de ses projets à venir.

Never throw in the towel. Jean-Christophe Gonon knows what it's like to defend a project, alone against everyone or almost. The author of the remarkable and acclaimed documentary film “10 rounds” had to fight to assert himself.

Independent director and producer, the Lignanais followed boxer Mike Esteves' preparation for the French championship for two months in 2021, which he competed in and won.

Olivier Marchal, president of the jury

His 43-minute “doc” has won no fewer than 34 awards at various festivals around the world. Last year, it was selected at the SMR13 International Independent Film Festival in Mitre-les-Remparts, near Marseille “and this year, I was invited as a member of the jury in the “feature film” category.

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A jury chaired, for this 9th edition, by Olivier Marchal, a figure well known to film buffs and the general public for his dark and twilight thrillers, such as 36 quai des Orfèvres, MR73 or Les Lyonnais.

Exister hors des réseaux

“It is a festival that takes place every year at the end of November and is supported by the Afci, the French Association of Independent Films, which brings together film enthusiasts. And Olivier Marchal has proven to be a very pleasant “travel companion”. He is friendly, very approachable and frank. And he knows better than no one what the work of an independent is”.

Because it is difficult for a filmmaker to exist outside of production or distribution networks. “You have to do everything, smiles Jean-Christophe Gonon.You have to figure out the numbers, organize yourself to find the funding, prepare the logistics for the filming. On “10 rounds”, I was the director, the editor, the creator of the musical soundtrack and I did the promotion. It took me a year!”.

Being taken seriously

A festival like SMR13 “allows you to meet people, share experiences and advice, create connections, and open a few doors. Because the limits of self-production are that you are not necessarily taken seriously.”

His film on the career of Mike Esteves is now part of the catalog of the production and distribution company Indeprod Films, which works for cinema and television. And Jean-Christophe Gonon is currently working on writing two short film scripts and a documentary.

A doc on a mystery artist

“The two shorts are original scripts that I co-wrote with my partner, Romy Vernhet.” As for the documentary, it would be about a great artist English. “We often reduce the careers of famous people to a few hits. I would like to make a truly sincere portrait of them, focused on the human being.” As for the name of this personality, it is for the moment a secret, the time has come for negotiations. Fingers crossed…