Director to be honoured with Bradford International Film Festival fellowship (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Director to be honoured with Bradford International Film Festival fellowship

9:20am Monday 16th April 2012 in Film Festival 2012 By Emma Clayton, Leisure and Lifestyle Editor

French film director and screenwriter Olivier Assayas will receive the Fellowship Award at this year’s festival.

The son of screenwriter Jacques Remy, Assayas (pictured) began his career as a film critic for French magazine Cahiers du Cinema which he went on to edit. His writings brought new attention to Hong Kong action cinema and to Japanese and Taiwanese films.

He is perhaps best known for 1996 film Irma Vep, starring Hong Kong star Maggie Cheung playing a version of herself cast in a remake of silent classic Les Vampires under the direction of an ageing auteur. Assayas’ most recent film, the epic Carlos, was made in both cinema and TV versions – the latter winning the Golden Globe for Best Mini-Series.

BIFF will screen a selection of films by Assayas who will be in conversation with co-director Neil Young on April 25.