behind the scenes of the “huge machine” set up by the “Anatomy of a Fall” team to win trophies

On Sunday, the last Cannes Palme d’Or, directed by Justine Triet, will be one of the films expected at the 96th Academy Awards, with no less than five nominations, including best film and best direction.

Three days from the 96^e ceremony of the prestigious Oscars, in Los Angeles, the French film Anatomy of a fall by Justine Triet is nominated in five categories, including best film. Franceinfo tells you behind the scenes of the campaign led by the film team to attract nearly 10 000 voters.

As the central character of this incredible adventure experienced by the film since its Palme d’Or at Cannes last May – again awarded six Césars ten days ago, among many other distinctions – we find the co-producer ofAnatomy of a fall. A few hours before flying to Los Angeles, Marie-Ange Luciani is torn between excitement, fatigue and a little nostalgia that it will all end soon : “There were still a lot of adventures. And also, it’s true, a little nostalgia, I admit, because I think that we will now finish this long road of rewards and honors that have been this film, and we’re obviously going to have to think about something else.”

“We’re happy because we’ve reached the end of what we could do with this film, happy to start working on other things, but also a little melancholic at the idea of ​​having to separate soon.”

Marie-Ange Luciani, co-producer

at franceinfo

At the Oscars, Anatomy of a fall is therefore nominated in the categories of best film, best direction, best original screenplay, best actress for Sandra Huller, and best editing. On January 7, during the Golden Globes, a sort of curtain raiser for the Oscars, Justine Triet left with two awards.

The success of the film is not enough

We could say that a film with all these qualities, which wins so many prizes, which brings together both the press and the public in a rare unanimity, and which has more than three million admissions worldwide, could be suffice for itself. But obviously that would be too simple. 10 000 professionals vote for the Oscars : actors, directors, but also cinematographers, press officers, etc., and not only in the United States. So you have to make sure that they have seen and liked the film.

Alya Belgaroui, marketing director at MK2, a company which sells the film internationally and put French producers in touch with Neon, the film’s distributor in the United States, experienced this very intense American campaign from the inside : “The general public may think that there is almost exclusively the glamorous side of it, when we see these photos on the red carpet which are making the rounds on social networks, with stars dolled up, taken care of. But behind that, there are all logistics which are still very heavy : organize permanent screenings around the world, reserve places and invite people to all the festivals that program the film. It’s a huge machine, which I would compare to a presidential campaign.”

Show the film, be seen, shake hands, please, also ensure that the images – like those of the dog Messi who plays in the film and was the star at the nominees gala – will make the rounds on social networks. Promotion is not necessarily the part of the job that those who make films prefer, whether they are directors, producers, or even actors, but Marie-Ange Luciani confirms that it is essential. : “We can’t ignore that. The Americans, moreover, know how to do it very well. They have a sense of communication, of encounters, of how to make it a little unusual, immediate, extraordinary,’ amazing’, that’s the word ! But what’s nice is that they work a lot and see a lot of other people’s films. When we meet and talk, we realize that everyone has seen the films.”

“For Justine Triet, to take the film where she wants to take it, it’s essential to do all that: occupy the land, travel, meet people and receive the awards in person.”

Marie-Ange Luciani, co-producer

at franceinfo

The filmmaker has already visited the United States ten times in recent months, to receive awards or to campaign for these 96^e Oscars. She met a large number of personalities like Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese, and she also took the opportunity to take lessons to improve her English.

“Dredge voters”

An enormous logistical machine therefore, and a campaign which resembles that of a presidential election. These are also the terms used by the actress Bérénice Béjo, who experienced the triumph of The Artist in 2012 : five Oscars including best film, Michel Hazanavicius best director and best actor for Jean Dujardin. She remembers that she had to, in her own words, “flirt voters” : “We are in an industry, so we play the game, we work, we have evenings, dinners. I remember that I had a press officer by my side who pinched my elbow to tell me if such no one voted for the Oscars or not. And when she voted, I flirted. In the sense that I said ‘my film is great, I’m super nice, vote for me’. Like an election, presidential or whatever you want. “

Finally, all these trips, these trips, these somewhat social events obviously have a significant cost, but the French team of the film and its American distributor see this as a “investment” to makeAnatomy of a Fall a classic. And for the Oscars, all we have to do now is keep our fingers crossed.