Juror
Richard Copans
[Juror’s Statement]
During my years in film school, at the end of the sixties, documentary filmmaking was not an option. Documentary emerged during the political struggles after 1968. All of a sudden, filming demonstrations, strikes, and discovering the new strength of feminist action became a very exciting way of making movies. But the form was minimal. Sound was basic, editing was rough. But I was lucky. At the end of the seventies, I filmed Origins of a Meal (1978) by Luc Moullet, I produced Field Diary (1978) by Amos Gitai, I began working with Robert Kramer. It all began to make sense.
I would produce, shoot or direct documentary films. They would be political, addressing the affairs of the world. They would be made under the rules of the “Politique des auteurs” as defined by the Cahiers du Cinéma, 10 years earlier. The timing was right. The production monopoly of French television ended in 1974. François Mitterand subsided the development of independent producers and ARTE, a new cultural channel appeared in 1986. A whole new world emerged. Each director opened a new window. Not only in terms of topics but as a creator of forms. The possibilities were infinite.
40 years later, the tools are different, funding is no easier, but we are still discovering new horizons.
Studied in the Camera Department at IDHEC (now La Fémis) from 1966 to 1968. From 1973 to 1979, he was part of the militant film collective Cinélutte. In 1978 he founded Les Films d’ici, leading it until 2023. As a cinematographer, he collaborated with filmmakers such as Luc Moullet, Robert Kramer, Claire Simon, and Stan Neumann. As a producer, he worked on over 200 documentaries with directors including Amos Gitai, Luc Moullet, Claire Simon, Richard Dindo, Denis Gheerbrant, Stan Neumann, Robert Kramer, and David Teboul. He headed the ARTE “Architectures” documentary series in cooperation with Les Films d’ici, overseeing 67 films over two decades. Copans has directed 65 television documentaries and four feature-length documentaries: Racines (2002), Un amour (roman) (2015), Monsieur Deligny, vagabond efficace (2020), and Looking for Robert (2024).
Looking for Robert
- FRANCE / 2024 / French, English / B&W, Color / DCP / 73 min
Director, Script, Photography: Richard Copans
Editing: Catherine Gouze
Sound, Sound Design: Sylvain Copans
Music: Barre Phillips
Producers: Michel Klein, Richard Copans
Production Companies: Les Films Hatari, Les Films d’ici
World Sales: Les Films d’ici
Richard Copans looks back on the months and years he spent with Robert Kramer. This film, made as a video letter to a friend with whom he had spent long years working—as a producer, as lighting crew during shoots—weaves together fragments from Kramer’s films and archival footage of their collaborations, brimming with tender looks cast at Kramer. Towards the end, a lengthy scene from Route One/USA (1989) is included, one where the young lovers who appear in the Bridgeport scene rehearse their wedding vows. And this film itself is also a declaration of love for Robert Kramer.
*Film by Robert Kramer in YIDFF Classics on Digital.