CARTIER, MAIN SPONSOR OF THE VENICE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, CONTINUES ITS EXPLORATION OF ARTISTIC INTERACTIONS AND CREATIVE PROCESSES WITH A NEW EDITION OF CARTIER ART DIALOGUES, DEDICATED TO MUSICAL COMPOSITIONS FOR FILM.
On 3 & 6 September, and as part of the 79th edition of the Venice International Film Festival, Cartier will present the third edition of its Cartier Art Dialogues series of conversations. This new chapter, Composing for Cinema, will take the form of masterclasses, offering in-depth insight into the particular alchemy between sound and image, and shedding light on the process of making music for film. Composers and musicians will share their experiences and working methods to give the audience a behind-the-scenes look into the process of creating music for film, exploring to what extent a film can also be written through its musical score. With the advent of silent film, improvising musicians were called upon to accompany the images. But very quickly, the two trades or disciplines established a meaningful dialogue in the earliest stages of the process. Directors and composers had to learn to work together in order to infuse the plot with all of its dramatic density, so that music and image could combine, in unity or in contrast.
It is difficult to imagine a classic Hollywood Western without its CinemaScope soundtrack making the screen wider still. Or the French New Wave without its poetic songs and Bebop jazz, which contributed to its modernity. Or Italian 1950’s cinema without its paltry and dreamlike fanfares. Or Film Noir without soloist trumpets and harmonicas, instruments of urban solitude and
nocturnal excesses. How can we forget all of these masterpieces of the screen which have lived on inside us with, through and thanks to their music? However, what exactly does this collaboration between film-makers and composers entail? How is dialogue established between these two art forms, between these two languages and vocabularies which are so different?
The latest edition of Cartier Art Dialogues will take place at the Palazzo del Casino, in the Festival Press Conference room, attended by an audience of students from multi-disciplinary backgrounds, including music, film, cultural administration, and other creative industries. The conversations will be broadcast via Mezzo TV channel, and will also be available on the Cartier Art Dialogues dedicated platform, which is open to the public.
Alberto Barbera, Director of the Venice International Film Festival said, “I applaud Cartier’s initiative to contribute to the enrichment of the cultural initiatives of the 79th Venice Film Festival with the Cartier Art Dialogues dedicated to film composition. The masterclasses of some prestigious protagonists of the artistic music scene will be an extraordinary opportunity to reflect on the collaboration between filmmakers and composers, destined to create to unforgettable masterpieces that have marked the development of the Seventh Art.”.
About Cartier Art Dialogues
Cartier Art Dialogues is the Maison’s series of conversations that bring together pre-eminent creatives and experts for a live forum of dialogues between generations, countries, and different styles and forms of art. The first chapter of the series took place at the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg in February 2021, as part of the exhibition “Cartier: Transmitting Heritage and Craftsmanship – Masterpieces from the Hermitage Museum and the Cartier Collection”, while the second was held at the Louvre
Museum in Paris in May 2022, as part of the exhibition “Cartier and Islamic Art: Tracing the Origins of Modernity”.
Artistic and cultural dialogues are a valuable source of inspiration for Cartier and have always played a key role in the Maison’s creation process. Cartier Art Dialogues reflects the determination to accelerate the flow of ideas and the transmission of knowledge by sharing unique artistic perspectives and expert views. It is set to become a permanent feature, consistent with the artistic and cultural initiatives Cartier proposes. Cyrille Vigneron, President and CEO of Cartier International said, “Through Cartier Art Dialogues, the Maison reaffirms its contribution to the cultural scene of its time, as well as its desire to foster multi-disciplinary and transgenerational conversations. Because it speaks directly to our soul and to our emotions, art makes it possible to transcend borders and to regain a piece of universality.”
Saturday, 3 September: 9am – 10.30am
Opening speech: 9am – 9.10am
o Alberto Barbera – Director, Venice Film Festival
o Cyrille Vigneron – President and CEO, Cartier International Conversation: 9.10am – 10am
o Alexandre Desplat – Composer
o Solrey – Musician and artistic director
o Andrea Morricone – Composer Questions from the audience: 10am – 10.30am
Tuesday, 6 September: 9am – 10.30am Opening speech: 9am – 9.10am
o Alberto Barbera – Director, Venice Film Festival
o François-Marc Sastre – Cartier South East Europe Managing Director Conversation: 9.10am – 10am
o Rachel Portman – Composer
o Simone Menezes – Conductor Questions from the audience: 10am – 10.30am
Both conversations will be moderated by Stéphane Lerouge, expert in film music and designer of
record collection Ecoutez le cinéma!