at the Lumière festival

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4th, 2018

Alfonso Cuarón, a founding member and patron of the Lumière festival, returns to Lyon with his long-awaited feature film ROMA, to celebrate the Lumière festival. After last year’s tribute to Guillermo del Toro, Lumière 2018 provides another occasion to salute an extraordinary generation of Mexican cinema.

© Institut Lumière / Léa Rener

In 2001, Alfonso Cuarón made his mark on the international scene with Y tu mamá también, starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna. He went on to adapt the classic British children’s book A Little Princess in 1995 which was critically acclaimed, followed by Great Expectations (1998), as well as Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), a movie that would bring him worldwide renown.
Ever unpredictable, Cuarón has shot incredibly bold projects that have enjoyed great success, first with Children of Men (2006) and then Gravity (2013). These two science fic­tion films signaled a significant turning point in his career. Gravity earned him the Aca­demy Award for Best Director along with six other awards. He also produced a short film The Shock Doctrine, narrated by Naomi Klein and directed by Jonás Cuaron.

With Sandra Bullock and George Clooney on the set of Gravity (2013)

While his exploration across an extreme array of genres invokes much admiration, it is Cuarón's ability to dissect the relationship of Man to a world in crisis, as well as his un­compromising perspective as an auteur, and as a Mexican filmmaker working in a glo­balized production system, which makes him one of the most exciting directors working today. Cuarón’s presence at the Lumière festival promises to be a notable event, with screenings from his filmography, a masterclass and the French premiere of his new film, Roma. Lumière welcomes him with great pride.

Filmed in 65mm and accentuated in crystalline black & white, Roma draws on Cuarón’s memories to paint a picture of Mexican society in the 70s in the heart of its ebullient capital. “It’s the first film I was fully able to convey what I wanted to convey as a film. It’s a story in many different shapes and hints of emotions that have been present since the moment I wanted to be a director,” he recently told IndieWire. ROMA is an official selection at many film festivals around the world including Venice, Telluride Toronto and New York; it will have its French premiere at the Lumière festival.

Alfonso Cuarón attended the festival last year, where he introduced Lumière festival-goers to a 1964 experimental film, Rubén Gámez's The Secret Formula (La fórmula secreta).

"Lyon is where I wanted to introduce Roma to the French public," he told us.

Bienvenido Cabron !

Watch the trailer:

There are periods in history that scar societies and moments in life that transform us as individuals. pic.twitter.com/TOBHcvGb7T

— Alfonso Cuaron (@alfonsocuaron) 25 juillet 2018

Meet Alfonso Cuarón on Tuesday, October 16 at the Comédie Odéon at 11am

Alfonso Cuarón will also introduce
Roma in premiere on Monday, October 15 at the Institut Lumière at 6:30pm
Sólo con tu pareja on Monday, October 15 at the Institut Lumière at 9:30pm
Jonah Who Will be 25 in the Year on Monday, October 15 at the Institut Lumière at 8:30pm
The Three Amigos – Alfonso Cuarón on Monday, October 15 at the Pathé Bellecour at 5:30pm
Roma on Monday, October 15 at the Cinéma Comœdia at 3pm