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Serge Bromberg: Up Close With Annecy's Artiste

Serge Bromberg helmed the Annecy International Animation Film Festival this year as its Artistic Director. Heather Kenyon sat down with him and asked him about his role at Annecy and passion for film preservation.

Serge Bromberg.

Serge Bromberg.

Heather Kenyon: First of all, let me say congratulations. I thought both the opening and closing ceremonies had an excellent energy to them, mainly due to your lively stage presence, jokes and piano playing. Was this a conscious effort to make the festival seem more approachable and friendly?

Serge Bromberg: This is my first complete year as Artistic Director of the Festival. You know that although it is "human friendly," the Annecy festival is also the first animation film festival in the world, with close to 6,000 persons attending. I know that this growth is necessary, but I most of all want it to remain what it was in the first place, a festival for good living, surprises, improvisation, personal involvement and discovery of other animator's experiences.

AWN's editor in chief Heather Kenyon speaks with Annecy's Serge Bromberg. © AWN, Inc.

AWN's editor in chief Heather Kenyon speaks with Annecy's Serge Bromberg. © AWN, Inc.

I usually play the piano on silent films, and I had already hosted the last two closing ceremonies. I thought that my presence on stage would be both a sign of personal involvement, and a good way of meeting people and "setting the mood."

But you should know that in Annecy this year, there has been surprises for everyone. For example, although he was part of a joke on stage, Richard Williams did not know that he would receive the "Grand Rabbit Award," especially made up for him. This goes also for me: as soon as the closing ceremony began, 30 protestors tried to make a political speech on stage. And they were not actors or 'toons !

HK: The language translators were also a first and very welcomed. Annecy has been criticized for not offering enough translation in the past. Why was this done this year and not sooner?

SB: At the end of last year, we had complaints about this problem. There would have been complaints even if I had tried to speak simultaneously in French and English which is very hard! It then became a concern that these little devices always be on hand. In Annecy, the two important categories of attending people are the filmmakers and the public. The crew is here to do whatever possible to serve both, so simultaneous translation is just the right answer to a legitimate concern.

Bendazzi's Cartoons: One Hundred Years of Cinema Animation is a must read for cartoon buffs.

Bendazzi's Cartoons: One Hundred Years of Cinema Animation is a must read for cartoon buffs.

HK: Adding Giannalberto Bendazzi into the mix was wonderful as well. How did that come about?

SB: The film retrospective ["Jewels of a Century"] was co-organized with ASIFA. We had to choose "our man Flint." We all know about Giannalberto's book, which has been our Bible for a long time. I did not know him personally, but he turned out to be a wonderful man and animation film lover, and it was easy to all agree on his name to pick the right films.

HK: I keep a copy of his book [Cartoons: One Hundred Years of Cinema Animation] on my desk at all times and to find he is not only a meticulous historian but also a charming, lovely man! Well, he's become one of AWN's favorites. You have a very fascinating background as well -- film preservationist, historian, television host. Your curiosity regarding the medium makes you a perfect candidate to be Annecy's Artistic Director, but how did you join up with the festival in this capacity?

SB: Because I was presenting a show of rare films (silents, cartoons, miscellaneous shorts), I was approached by the team from the French public channel La Cinquième to produce and host a show called The Dinky Doodle Way, which also features cartoon characters that bother me all the time.

The show is still very successful, and two years ago, the director of Annecy needed someone to host the closing ceremony, so he asked me. The rest is "a chemical reaction, that's all," as Fred and Cyd would say. A few weeks after Jean-Luc Xiberras passed away in December 1998, Dominique Puthod and Tiziana Loschi asked me to join. I took some time to make up my mind -- I was afraid of not having enough time in the day but I finally accepted.

HK: Will you be back?

SB: You ask this question as if I was an old rock star doing a farewell tour! Of course, I'll be back. I am only 39, and it is a little soon to retire.

HK: Well, it is a big responsibility. Maybe you didn't want it every year. I am glad you'll be back. What was most challenging for you in this role?

Bromberg with the festival's honorary president Roy Disney. Courtesy of Annecy. © Odile Jacquot/NBC.

Bromberg with the festival's honorary president Roy Disney. Courtesy of Annecy. © Odile Jacquot/NBC.

SB: Annecy's reputation used to be the "Anti-Disney" festival. The challenging point was to say: the festival just turned forty, it is time to bury the hatchet, and turn Annecy toward being a more open animation festival, where everyone, and all techniques, can meet and interact.

I have been questioned, sometimes insulted, about my decision to invite Roy Disney to be the honorary president. The choice of some films presented, and finally the decision to not give an award to a feature film, have also been often misinterpreted.

But now that the festival is over, I think that we have managed to open all the doors, and have a fresh wind blow away the old stories about remaining faithful to Annecy's spirit. A cheap politician would say, "We are ready for the next millennium." I would rather say, "Give me a few days of rest, and I'm ready to work on next year's edition."

HK: I have the same problem walking this line in the magazine. It can be difficult to please everyone, all of the time, and achieve the correct balance between what is perceived as animation for art vs. commerce. Can you speak a little about your work with your company Lobster Films?

The lighter side of Serge Bromberg. Courtesy of Serge Bromberg.

The lighter side of Serge Bromberg. Courtesy of Serge Bromberg.

SB: I created Lobster Films in 1985 with some friends. It was intended to be a production company, but it has turned out to be mostly a film preservation company.

But managing a small company offers a lot of opportunities, and in the last five years, we have become a major stock shot footage bank, we produce documentaries and TV series, corporate films, commercials, we release DVDs, etc., and manage to remain a fairly small company!

But what I cherish the most is the search for lost films. Night and day, I look for lost cans of film in attics, basements, flea markets, antique shops, anywhere and everywhere! It all started when I was 8! The Lobster collection is now 70,000 reels rich of all kinds of films. Every 6 months, I do a show, called "Retour de Flamme" ("Back from the Fire"), to show our latest discoveries. About 2,000 people attend each show.

This is how I got most of my technical and historical knowledge. You know, trying to identify old films without beginnings and ends for thirty years requires very serious searches and studies, and it gives you a fairly strong cultural and historical background.

HK: What is the most frustrating thing for you regarding trying to preserve films?

SB: The most frustrating thing is probably losing the magic of your discoveries. When you find an original lost Walt Disney Alice cartoon, you are thrilled. But when a new print and neg comes out of the labs, it is just as thrilling as a good re-production of a Rembrandt picture. The magic may still be there, but it is not a Rembrandt any longer.

Oh, yes! One other thing! I am very frustrated when another lab is chosen to restore a major film and does it all wrong! It has happened with many films. The last being Drôle De Drame. I think you call it in the USA Bizarre, Bizarre. I could not stand the filtered version for more than 5 minutes, and when I have time, I am going to call the owner of the film and offer to re-restore it.

But to speak about preservation in terms of frustration is not right. The search for lost films and their preservation (it may be only 5% due to money restrictions) is as thrilling as a book of adventures. Plus it is Christmas everyday, because as strange as it may seem, films are found every day throughout the world.

For example, our last discovery came from an old cinema in Canada that was to be torn down, in which we found 170 78rpm records of ambient music recorded to be used in the silent era as background music. It is probably the first time in the world that a complete set has been found in such good condition.

HK: Most animation experts are experts in animation only...yet, you also show a love for live-action films, mostly older, silent films. How do these two mediums compare for you?

SB: What do you prefer? Appetizers, vegetables, cheese or desserts ? A good meal has to be balanced, and the good chef knows all the ingredients he has in the kitchen.

HK: Your job sounds very romantic. Purchasing films from around the world, finding rare prints, scheduling the leading animation festival, hosting a show that brings animation to a greater audience...Can you give us an idea of your schedule, of one of your "typical" days or weeks?

SB: Hard to say, it varies a lot. But each day begins and ends with a call or a big hug from my kids and my lovely and very patient wife.

But let me ask you a question now. By any chance, do you have any films forgotten in a country house by your grandfather? If so, I'd like to have a look!

HK: Hmmm...can't say I know of any. My entire family is made up of engineers so I don't think any of them collected films. But if I come across any, I'll let you know immediately. More importantly I'd like to find this country house!

A complete list of winners is available in AWN's Headline news.

View AWN's Annecy 2000 Photo Album

Heather Kenyon is editor in chief of Animation World Magazine.