"Che, the most admired of all my fellow countryman… Fidel, the only man who succeeded in confounding the CIA’s plans for over 50 years… SOY CUBA, the film whose camerawork inspired me so deeply…
But let’s be honest, if I made this film, it’s because a friend of mine who has spent some time in Cuba told me that that’s where he had seen the highest percentage of the most gorgeous girls and best dancers in the world.
I hate tourism; I had to wait for years for a credible excuse to take a flight to the mythical island. Having missed the screening of IRREVERSIBLE at the Havana Film Festival in 2002, I had to wait until the end of 2009 and the selection of
ENTER THE VOID to go. At the same time, some of the producers had already approached me with 7 DAYS IN HAVANA in mind. As a result, after partying for 3 days I agreed to it. But I also realised that today’s social reality was more complex than the Castroist utopia whose virtues my father praised, and that the Cuban imagination was more closely linked to African magic than I’d thought.
A year and a half later, I returned to Cuba to shoot in a semi-improvised manner, with an ultra-reduced crew, a short film with a dance scene and a ‘cleansing’ ritual." (Gaspar Noé)

(source : presskit)

Because we love cinema : the opening of Mikhaïl Kalatozov's Soy Cuba :

Gaspar Noé (© Antonio Spacca)

Gaspar Noé (© Antonio Spacca)

Julio Medem, Gaspar Noé, Benicio del Toro, Elia Suleiman, Laurent Cantet, Pablo Trapero & Emir Kusturica

(© AFP)

"7 Dias En La Habana" Photocall - 65th Annual Cannes Film Festival

Directors Gaspar Noe, Benicio Del Toro, Laurent Cantet, Elia Suleiman, Pablo Trapero and Julio Medem attend the "7 Dias En La Habana" Photocall during the 65th Annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 23, 2012 in Cannes, France. (May 22, 2012 - Source: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Europe)

Directors Gaspar Noe, Benicio Del Toro, Laurent Cantet, Elia Suleiman, Pablo Trapero and Julio Medem attend the "7 Dias En La Habana" Photocall during the 65th Annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 23, 2012 in Cannes, France. (May 22, 2012 - Source: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images Europe)

Director Gaspar Noe attends the "7 Dias En La Habana" Photocall during the 65th Annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 23, 2012 in Cannes, France. (May 22, 2012 - Source: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Europe)

Director Gaspar Noe attends the "7 Dias En La Habana" Photocall during the 65th Annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 23, 2012 in Cannes, France. (May 22, 2012 - Source: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images Europe)

Chris Carle contacted me about his video work on Irréversible locations in Paris. The beginning of a friendship. Here is an interview in which he talks about his passion of Gaspar Noé's movie and how this passion is transcribed in his artistic daily work. After the interview, you can visit his personal website : www.giraffemitfeuerwaffe.de

Enter the Void by Chris Carle - click to enlarge

Chris, how did you discovered Gaspar Noé's work?
As much as Im admiring Gaspar’s works now,it’s funny that I discovered him just by luck.Some years ago I was an avid user of an Austrian DVD-/movie-board and had heard about "Irreversible" there. When I saw the movie on a supermarket then, I couldn’t resist to simply get it and since me and a friend watched it the later evening, I’m game!

Chris Carle at work

Are you self-educated or did you follow a particular artistic path?
I think I really started drawing when I saw the German animation-movie "Werner Beinhart" as a child.I loved it, watched it a hundred times and I was always fascinated by creating something similar to this. I’ve never had any school or something and this is how I work now. No system.. The works are results of simply trial-and-error (and sure, they’re not what you call "technically oriented" or something as you can see.)

Irréversible by Chris Carle - click to enlarge

In your painting work, there - to my knowledge - two different way of working : drawing/painting and the use of graphics tablet. Personally, I love your use of this digital tool. Can you tell us more about your work ?
Well, as Im not a very creative person in general, my works are more like a funny way of re-creating stuff someone else created before and which I love. I really need a personal relationship to the pictures I draw  - be it a certain scene of a movie or a still of a musician that I love. The work itself (with the tablet) starts with a simple map of the most important colours to use, then I go on to connect the colours and get first details. This process keeps going on until I’m satisfied with the work or I just don’t have the passion to go on anymore (laughs). With Adobe Photoshop or Corel Painter you have a powerful software to work with, but you should stay real with your abillities and your intention. Anybody could just copy and paste, that’s no magic.

Irréversible by Chris Carle - click to enlarge

You've directed an interesting documentary about Irréversible locations in Paris. I knew you at this period. Can you talk a little about the context of this video ?
Visiting some of the locations of "Irreversible" in Paris was like a dream come true! Althought it’s like a decade ago now since the movie was filmed there, you get a feeling of the movie if you’re a fan like me. A lot things changed (like the underground-tunnel, which just disappeared from the street),but there are many little details to still discover on the streets or at the Metro. The filming of the "docu" was  just a co-product of the whole trip. We (me and my girlfriend) visited "Buttes Chaumont" and "Boulevard Berthier". If any fan liked my little "docu" I’m more than satisfied!
Go out and explore Paris, what a great city!

Imagine you're talking about Gaspar to somebody who NEVER heard about him : what did you tell him about ?
I don’t need to imagine that,it’s my daily business. There’s always music or movies to talk about and Gaspar – as one of my favourite director’s – is a vivid topic in my conversations. What I really learned when introducing works of him: You need an open minded conversational partner. I mean it’s not like the newest standard blockbuster 3D to show, it’s art, pretty "tough" art. I often try to explain some technical stuff behind his works or talk about other background information in order to give a first impression about HOW he works. If someone’s interested in it, a link to your website would be the next step! (laughs.) Here you get all the details!
Thank you very much for your interest and  the interview!"

Gaspar Noé by Chris Carle

Chris Carle in Paris

Jeff Bridges by Chris Carle - click to enlarge 

Thierry Frémaux : "Je me doutais qu'un film comme Irréversible de Gaspar Noé allait secouer les esprits, mais pas à ce point."* (source)

*"I suspected that a film like Gaspar Noé's Irreversible shook up people, but not at this point."