With this expression on the huge screen, the 7th edition of Lumière, dedicated to Chantal Akerman and Raymond Chirat, whom the cinema world lost recently, got officially underway. In the house: Jean-Paul Belmondo, John Lasseter, Louise Bourgoin, Nicolas Winding Refn, Jacques Audiard, Alex Lutz, Bernard Pivot, Dario Argento, Venantino Venantini accompanied by Laurent Gerra, Lolita Chammah, and many others took in an overview of this year's lineup, with its 140 films and 370 screenings in and around Lyon. The images of Sophia Loren, Akira Kurosawa or Jean Yanne blazed across the screen, along with interspersed film scenes of Lumière Award recipient Martin Scorsese, who again expressed his love for films, declaring the cinema "A strong connection to my whole life."

Photo : Jean-Luc Mège

The lights of the huge Halle Tony Garnier come up again and take a time out for… football, aka soccer, to celebrate another upcoming major event: The European Football Championship, soon to be held in France. The captain of the French women's soccer team, Wendy Bouchard, invites members of the audience on stage for a series of improvised shots. Official game soccer balls are kicked from the stage, landing in the audience to applause and cries of excitement by those clamoring to catch them.

It is then time for another experience and another celebration: the 120 years of the cinematograph. Once again, the Lyonnais are involved, this time on the street… A mini film is shown of passersby trying- and mostly failing - to respond to 5 quick quiz questions on Lumière, from the first names of the brothers, to the year of the invention of cinema or the place where it was invented. The result proves highly amusing, with its "mostly approximate" answers!

Photo : Léa Rener

…Back to the cinema, as all the lights this time including the screen, go out again. In total darkness, we hear that special endearing sound of the film passing through the cinematograph, which is almost as moving as the vision of the historical images from the first film: Workers Leaving Lumière Factory, projected in the initial conditions of its creation.

"And there you go!" exclaims a satisfied Thierry Frémaux.

Photo : Léa Rener

It is now the moment for all the artists to take the stage and collectively read the traditional text, declaring the festival officially open. To the audience's delight, this year's reading features an amazing solo in French by courageous John Lasseter. The talented Laurent Gerra then brings the house down with his uncanny imitations of French stars, including his spot-on take on a witty, passionate "formidable" Bertrand Tavernier (missed by his current absence). A reading of the text by the mellow and ever-elegant Jean-Paul Belmondo concludes the official opening. 

Incidentally, when Vincent Lindon, the graceful guest of honor, takes the microphone, he chooses to pay tribute to… Jean-Paul Belmondo. On stage, the actor of The Measure of a Man admits that he is also extremely moved to address such a large audience of cinema lovers. Then, directly and very simply, he describes the spirit of Belmondo, referring to his relationship with the audience: "It is true that he is you!".

Photo : Sabine Perrin - Jean-Luc Mège Photographies

At 9:15pm, the surprise film of the evening, The End of the Day by Julien Duvivier, begins… A film about actors!

And another cinema story!

Virginie Apiou