“An icon has arrived in Karlovy Vary – one whose visit we have been dreaming of for many years. One of the world’s most admired actresses also made her directorial debut last year,” said Artistic Director Karel Och as he invited French actress Juliette Binoche onto the stage of the Grand Hall. She was accompanied by producer Sébastien de Fonseca. Together, they made the film In-I in Motion, woven from dozens of hours of footage from performances by Binoche and the dancer and choreographer Akram Khan.
“I once went for a massage in London. I was lying face down and the masseuse asked me if I’d like to dance. I would. She invited me to a performance that her husband was putting on. After the performance, he asked me if I’d like to spend two days with him in the studio and come up with a joint project. I finished filming and agreed. The performance premiered two years later,” said Binoche, describing the very beginnings of the project.
"This film is actually the beginning of what came two years later. Khan and I didn’t really know each other. Initially, we didn’t even have a theme for the production. But we both wanted to learn each other’s craft. I wanted to learn to dance, and he wanted to learn to act. We spent six months putting the show together. We went on tour and performed a total of 420 shows. Robert Redford was at one of the final performances. He said we had to make a film out of it. And I did as he said. So you're about to see the film Robert Redford wanted us to make,” the actress explained.
She also described her artistic vision and method: “I didn’t want to explain in the film everything we’d been through. I want the audience to feel the same way whilst watching as we did while making it. You don’t know what’s going to happen. Everything’s a blur. You have more questions than answers. By the end of the film, you’ll all become creators yourselves, and perhaps it will inspire you to try something new. Because I believe that we’re all creators.”
