L'EMPIRE DE LA PERFECTION
O.V. French subtitle in Spanish and English
An unexpected wonder that talks not only about tennis but about cinema (like Serge Daney’s sports chronicles), enjoying the grace of John McEnroe’s movements on the Roland Garros courts (inversely proportional to his explosive character). The beauty of the tennis gesture was imprinted on a series of educational films, an unusual, almost choreographic register, from which Faraut built this film. Tennis as a drawing in the air for, as Godard said, “films lie, sport doesn’t”.
Direction: Julien Faraut
Script: Julien Faraut
Cinematography: Julien Faraut
Editing: Andreï Bogdanov Music: Zone libre, K-row
Sound: Léon Rousseau Voice: Mathieu Amalric
Production: William Jéhannin, Raphaëlle Delauche
Production Company: UFO Production
Julien Faraut
He was born in Colombes, France, in 1978. In 2000 he graduated with a Master’s in History from the University of Paris-Nanterre. He has worked in the French Sports Institute (INSEP) for fifteen years, during which he has been in charge of the Centre’s collection of 16 mm films. Taking advantage of this work, he has made several of his own works from those films, in which he links subjects such as sport, cinema and art. His latest film, L’empire de la perfection, was presented at the Berlinale in 2018.