Presented only in theatres
French-Swiss filmmaker Barbet Schroeder offers privileged access to his close friend and collaborator, Ricardo Cavallo, a French painter of Argentine origin. With remarkable aesthetics, his new documentary showcases the journey of an exceptional man who dedicates his life to painting with simplicity and humility, even passing on his knowledge and passion to the children of his Breton village of Saint-Jean-du-Doigt.
Interview with Barbet Schroeder
What charmed you first? Ricardo Cavallo or his painting?
Both at the same time. And it was over forty years ago, thanks to Karl Flinker, a great art lover, a bookseller, and gallery owner who was also a close friend of my mother’s. Since my arrival in Paris at the age of 11, he was a bit like my spiritual father. We always stayed in touch and one day, in 1982, he told me that I had to meet one of his new painters, who had become a friend and a true genius. That’s how I climbed the seven floors of a building in Neuilly, to a small maid’s room where Ricardo Cavallo lived and had set up his studio. His painting and personality captivated me immediately. I knew right away that you rarely meet people like him in life. Ricardo is someone of extreme sensitivity, exceptional openness to others, and generosity at every moment.
Later on, I had the chance to be the first to see the completely secret part of his work emerge: the thousands of extraordinary gouaches that make up what he calls “active imagination”. I was also so drawn to his large oil paintings that they eventually adorned most of the walls of all my apartments.
In 1982, you were a young man in his forties. What was your relationship with art, and with painting in particular?
Over the years, Karl had introduced me in detail to the painters whose books he published, among them, Paul Klee, and Picasso’s portraits. I was also completely fascinated by Manet, Baudelaire, and cinema.
French-Swiss filmmaker Barbet Schroeder offers privileged access to his close friend and collaborator, Ricardo Cavallo, a French painter of Argentine origin. With remarkable aesthetics, his new documentary showcases the journey of an exceptional man who dedicates his life to painting with simplicity and humility, even passing on his knowledge and passion to the children of his Breton village of Saint-Jean-du-Doigt.
Interview with Barbet Schroeder
What charmed you first? Ricardo Cavallo or his painting?
Both at the same time. And it was over forty years ago, thanks to Karl Flinker, a great art lover, a bookseller, and gallery owner who was also a close friend of my mother’s. Since my arrival in Paris at the age of 11, he was a bit like my spiritual father. We always stayed in touch and one day, in 1982, he told me that I had to meet one of his new painters, who had become a friend and a true genius. That’s how I climbed the seven floors of a building in Neuilly, to a small maid’s room where Ricardo Cavallo lived and had set up his studio. His painting and personality captivated me immediately. I knew right away that you rarely meet people like him in life. Ricardo is someone of extreme sensitivity, exceptional openness to others, and generosity at every moment.
Later on, I had the chance to be the first to see the completely secret part of his work emerge: the thousands of extraordinary gouaches that make up what he calls “active imagination”. I was also so drawn to his large oil paintings that they eventually adorned most of the walls of all my apartments.
In 1982, you were a young man in his forties. What was your relationship with art, and with painting in particular?
Over the years, Karl had introduced me in detail to the painters whose books he published, among them, Paul Klee, and Picasso’s portraits. I was also completely fascinated by Manet, Baudelaire, and cinema.
Other festival:
Locarno Film Festival, Switzerland (2023)
Locarno Film Festival, Switzerland (2023)
| Director | Barbet Schroeder |
| Editing | Julie Lena |
| Sound | Elie Peyssard |
| Sound mixing | Etienne Curchod |
| Cinematographer | Victoria Clay |
| Music | Hans Appleqvist |
In Partnership with
Sessions
• Cinéma du Musée - Auditorium Maxwell-Cummings
Saturday, march 16, 2024, 05:30 p.m. — 07:30 p.m.
• Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec - Auditorium Sandra et Alain Bouchard du Pavillon Pierre Lassonde
Tuesday, march 19, 2024, 01:30 p.m. — 03:45 p.m.
Production
Barbet Schroeder
Available in French only
Né le 26 août 1941 à Téhéran
1958 – 1963: collabore aux Cahiers du Cinéma et à L’Air de Paris.
Assistant stagiaire de Jean-Luc Godard sur LES CARABINIERS
Réalise deux courts-métrages amateurs en 16 mm et noir et blanc
En 1962 il crée la société de production Les Films du Losange.
Produit les deux premiers Contes moraux d’Eric Rohmer.
Nominé Meilleur metteur en scène à l’Oscar et au Golden Globe pour LE MYSTERE VON BÜLOW
Barbet Schroeder a tenu par ailleurs, pour des amis, de nombreux petits rôles, notamment dans Les Carabiniers,La boulangere de Monceau, Paris vu par … (épisode Gare du Nord de Jean Rouch), Out One, Céline et Julie vont en bateau, Roberte ce soir, Bandini, Le flic de Berverly Hills 3, La reine Margot, Mars Attack, Paris je t’aime,Ne touchez pas la hache,Darjeeling (Wes Anderson).
Biographical notes provided by the film production team
Né le 26 août 1941 à Téhéran
1958 – 1963: collabore aux Cahiers du Cinéma et à L’Air de Paris.
Assistant stagiaire de Jean-Luc Godard sur LES CARABINIERS
Réalise deux courts-métrages amateurs en 16 mm et noir et blanc
En 1962 il crée la société de production Les Films du Losange.
Produit les deux premiers Contes moraux d’Eric Rohmer.
Nominé Meilleur metteur en scène à l’Oscar et au Golden Globe pour LE MYSTERE VON BÜLOW
Barbet Schroeder a tenu par ailleurs, pour des amis, de nombreux petits rôles, notamment dans Les Carabiniers,La boulangere de Monceau, Paris vu par … (épisode Gare du Nord de Jean Rouch), Out One, Céline et Julie vont en bateau, Roberte ce soir, Bandini, Le flic de Berverly Hills 3, La reine Margot, Mars Attack, Paris je t’aime,Ne touchez pas la hache,Darjeeling (Wes Anderson).
Biographical notes provided by the film production team
Selected Films :
Amnesia (2015)
Mad Men (2009)
Inju (2008)
L’avocat de la terreur (2007)
Calculs Meurtrier (2002)
Amnesia (2015)
Mad Men (2009)
Inju (2008)
L’avocat de la terreur (2007)
Calculs Meurtrier (2002)
In the same sessions
Cinéma du Musée - Auditorium Maxwell-Cummings
Saturday, march 16, 2024, 05:30 p.m.
Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec - Auditorium Sandra et Alain Bouchard du Pavillon Pierre Lassonde
Tuesday, march 19, 2024, 01:30 p.m.
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