Jacques Perconte (born 1945) is a French filmmaker and visual artist whose works have been presented at various festivals and museums around the world, including the Cannes Film Festival, the Venice Film Festival, the New York Film Festival, the Centre Pompidou, the Tate Modern, the Whitney Museum, and the MoMA. His films are known for their experimental nature, often employing radical techniques such as slow motion, stop motion, and hand-processing. His works are often dreamlike and explore the boundaries between reality and imagination.
Born in Paris, France, Perconte studied at the École des Beaux Arts and the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers. He later became a professor of film at the Université de Paris and the École Supérieure des Beaux Arts.
Perconte's career began in the mid-1970s, when he made his first short film, La Chambre des Anges. This was followed by a series of experimental films that explored his fascination with light and sound, such as La Fête des Oiseaux, Le Jardin des Étoiles, and Les Nuits. These films were often shot on a variety of formats, from 16mm to Super 8, and often employed unusual techniques such as hand-processing and optical printing.
In the 1980s, Perconte began to focus more on feature films. His first feature, Les Grandes Vacances, was released in 1987 and was an immediate success, winning the César Award for Best First Feature Film. This was followed by several other acclaimed films, such as La Seine et Moi, Le Voyage en Douce, and Églantine.
In the 1990s, Perconte's films began to explore themes of memory and nostalgia, often juxtaposing images of the past with the present. One of his most acclaimed works from this period is La Vie des Morts, a film about a man who is trying to come to terms with the death of his wife. This film was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and won the César Award for Best Film in 1996.
Perconte's films have been praised for their visual beauty and unique aesthetic. In addition to his work as a filmmaker, he is also an accomplished visual artist. His large-scale installations have been presented at many of the world's leading institutions.
Jacques Perconte
