In 1998, the public discovered a taxi that used the streets of Marseille as a racetrack. In 2000, they were enchanted by a car flying through the air. By 2003, the speedy car would become an armored vehicle equipped with machine guns. What will Taxi 4 bring us in 2007? Fasten your seatbelts! Luc Besson once again brings you the race.
Filming for Taxi 4 began in June with Sami Naceri, Frédéric Diefentahl, Emma Sjoberg, and Bernard Farcy. Marion Cotillard will not be joining them, as she is focusing on filming “La Môme,” a movie about the life of Edith Piaf.
This Tuesday, a scene from the movie was being shot in Nice. Could this be a new boost for Azurean cinema?
For the occasion, we met with the representative of the Film Commission, Evelyne Colle, a woman deeply committed to her department.
Nice-Première: Today, the Nice Côte d’Azur Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCINCA) lends its setting to the movie “Taxi 4.” How did this collaboration come about?
Evelyne Colle: Taxi 4 is a film directed by Gérard Krawczyk, whom I met in October 2005. We discussed the projects he was going to work on. He hadn’t yet mentioned Taxi because Gérard is quite discreet. And I knew very well that the Taxi films had a very Marseille-flavored setting. Then, a few months ago, I was called by the production: “There is a film by Gérard Krawczyk, and there could be such and such a setting that we’re looking for on the Côte d’Azur.” We started working with the crew, looking for settings. We did 6 or 7 location scouts, and finally, they agreed to shoot a bank scene at the Consular Palace.
N-P: Is it difficult to arrange a shoot at the CCI?
E.C.: Not at all. The Chamber of Commerce initiated the creation of the Film Commission in 1998. It has also fully opened up all its sites, whether port, airport, consular palace, or others it manages. It’s very welcoming: the productions at the CCI’s sites and even generally in the 06 area, since the Film Commission operates not only for consular sites. I remind you that we have been involved in attracting shootings across the entire territory of the 06. It’s not just about being tolerated, but being welcomed as well.
Between these two words lies the quality of reception and the mindset of the CCI in particular, but also of other cities that are members of the Film Commission. Today, the mindset has completely changed compared to ten years ago. We take into account the overall needs of a film, their technical requirements, their administrative process. It’s really complete support, and all this makes our territory more attractive than it has been in the past.
N-P: How did the Film Commission come to be?
E.C.: The idea to create the Film Commission came about on a film called “Une chance sur deux,” produced by Christian Fechner with Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo. In fact, it was Christian Fechner who told me one day: “But Evelyne, Nice airport is the easiest airport in France to shoot at because everything is taken care of. It’s very difficult to shoot in the 06 because of the administrative processes, the exorbitant costs… If one day you manage to do at the departmental level what you do at the airport, cinema will restart on the Côte d’Azur.” That’s when we started working on this idea.
When the CCI saw a certain development for its constituents for the image of the department, we said, “here we go, we create the Film Commission.” The CCI is the initiator of the creation of the Film Commission, though since then many major cities have joined the Film Commission, to the great delight of Azurean cinema.
Last year, we dealt with 158 productions altogether: adverts, feature films, TV movies…
These 158 productions generated nearly 1,200 days of filming and 25 million euros in financial intake for the department, and I’m not even talking about the benefits in terms of a tourism image. It’s something significant. Moreover, we have a lot of companies in the 06 area that process and convey content. You are yourself a new media reference on the Internet. Sophia Antipolis, for example, has many companies working in this content space. We want to create full synergy: cinematic activity and companies that process and convey content. The new channels of distribution are an additional resource for exploiting the overall image.
N-P: Is it therefore thanks to the Film Commission that Azurean cinema will be reborn?
E.C.: It’s thanks to the realization of the importance of having a strong cinematic activity. It would be presumptuous to say “it’s thanks to the Film Commission.” But it’s certainly the Film Commission that has influenced this new breath. At first, it was an intention that was more economical than cultural although at the end, it is evident that we are working on a cultural product but in this activity, there is also the notion of industry.
N-P: Does the Film Commission have other projects in the pipeline?
E.C.: By definition, we respect, before having the authorization of the productions, a complete confidentiality clause. There will be three more projects by the end of the year and we are starting to work on projects for 2007. Some can start to be discussed in mid-September and others in mid-November. But today, I can’t tell you more because the productions trust us, and I aim to respect them because that’s where our good relations come from.
So, I’ll see you in mid-September to learn more about the future of Azurean cinema.
