Renowned French filmmaker Luc Besson made an emotional appearance at the Venice Film Festival to present his latest film, “Dogman,” just two months after France’s highest appeals court refused to reopen a rape allegation against him. Although Besson has consistently denied the accusation, which almost made him an outcast in the film industry, he did not discuss the case during the press conference before the Venice premiere. Instead, he focused on the inspirations behind his work and his creative process.
“Love and art are the only two things that can save you, definitely not money. When you have both, you’re fortunate,” Besson said, receiving applause from many journalists present. The filmmaker, known for past hits like “The Fifth Element,” “Nikita,” and “Lucy,” seemed to hold back tears as he expressed gratitude to his actors, Caleb Landry-Jones and Jojo T. Gibbs, and his producer and wife, Virginie Besson-Silla, who accompanied him at the press conference. Besson revealed that since his teenage years, he has always risen early to pen his screenplays.
“It is my way to escape this world,” he explained. “There’s no genius {to it), there is work. You just have to work and work and keep what’s good and work on what’s not good and work on it again.”
“Dogman” narrates the troubled life of a young man, portrayed by Landry-Jones, who was abused as a child and finds redemption through his affection for stray dogs he takes care of. Besson shared that the idea for the film came after reading a news article about a French couple who confined their young child in a cage. “I just tried to imagine his life (afterwards) … What do you become, a terrorist or Mother Teresa?”
A significant challenge during the making of the film was selecting and then directing a group of dogs, which are the protagonist’s source of love and pride. Besson did not anticipate the complexity of working with multiple dogs and their trainers.
“One thing I didn’t expect is there were 25 trainers and they have two dogs each. The dogs just act to the voice of their master, so when you say ‘action’ you have 25 people screaming at the same time,” Besson remarked.
“Dogman” is among the 23 films vying for the coveted Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival, which lasts until September 9.
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