Marcel Hanoun

Marcel Hanoun was a French filmmaker and writer, born in Tunis. A contemporary of the French New Wave, he developed an experimental approach to cinema, with a particular interest in the relationship between image and sound. His feature debut, Une simple histoire (1959) combines neorealist influences with a Bressonian minimalism. Other notable films include L'authentique procès de Carl-Emmanuel Jung (1967) and his quadrilogy Les saisons. Although Hanoun's films and the many texts he wrote were praised by filmmakers such as Jonas Mekas and Jean-Luc Godard, he never received the same attention as his contemporaries. His uncompromising attitude, not only in making but also in distributing his films, drove him into obscurity. It is only in recent years that his rich oeuvre, on which he continued to work tirelessly until his death, has been receiving attention.

Cinema Cineast

A Selection of Marcel Hanoun’s Notes on the Written Image

Marcel Hanoun, 2002
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In 2001, Hanoun published Cinéma cinéaste, notes sur l’image écrite, a collection of short notes on cinema written throughout his life. Guided by the question of what it means to make a film, Hanoun reflects on the filmic image and its relationship to sound, the filmmaker, the viewer, and history. Hanoun: “I know that I know nothing about today’s cinema and that I have everything still to learn about tomorrow’s cinema.”

Cinéma cinéaste

Une sélection des notes de Marcel Hanoun sur l’image écrite

Marcel Hanoun, 2002
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En 2001, Hanoun publie Cinéma cinéaste, notes sur l’image écrite, un recueil de courtes notes sur le cinéma écrites tout au long de sa vie. Guidé par la question de ce que signifie faire un film, Hanoun réfléchit à l’image filmique et à ses rapports avec le son, le cinéaste, le spectateur et l’histoire. Hanoun : « Je sais que je ne sais rien du cinéma d’aujourd’hui et que j’ai tout à apprendre du cinéma de demain. »

Lettre à un jeune cinéaste
Marcel Hanoun, 1977
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Tu as choisi de t’exprimer par le son et l’image, tu as choisi un acte essentiellement révolutionnaire et politique, la création cinématographique. Prends garde de n’en être pas détourné par les plus paradoxales et les plus fallacieuses raisons.

Letter to a Young Filmmaker
Marcel Hanoun, 1977
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You have chosen to express yourself through sound and image. You have chosen an essentially revolutionary and political act: making films. Take care not to be diverted by the most paradoxical and spurious of motives.

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