Sydney-based production company Aurora Films is developing an adaptation of the late French writer and photographer Hervé Guibert’s 1989 novel. Crazy for Vincent.
The autobiographical work depicts the author’s fascination with Vincent Marmoses, a young man who moved in and out of his life over the course of six years, before falling to his death from a third-floor window while under the influence of drink and drugs. .
The company has optioned the novel and plans a French-language production that will be filmed in France and Europe, with post-production taking place in Australia. Film selection is currently underway and the company aims to announce the start of filming at Cannes in May.
Australian director Jamison Pearce is a Lexus Short Film Fellow with credits that include Adults (SXSW) and Strangershas adapted the novel and will make his feature directorial debut with the production.
“Hervé Guibert’s writing is fearless and unflinching. Adapting his work requires a similar audacity,” said Pearce. “On the page, moments of tender intimacy lie centimeters away from brutal depression, creating an emotional landscape that is as compelling as it is destabilizing.”
“Guibert’s reflections on the role of the artist—dealing with life as an extension of artistic practice—resonate and serve to explain, if not justify, the moral ambiguity of his choices. This maze of moments is well-suited to a cinematic adaptation.”
Pierce, who has built a body of short films that explore morally complex and sexually charged narratives, wrote the adapted screenplay while living at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris.
“Guibert’s fearless interrogation of the darkest corners of desire finds a counterpart in Jamison’s filmmaking. This collaboration is a lightning strike for contemporary cinema,” said producer Akos Armont and Managing Director of Aurora Films.
Distributor Pivot Pictures, which has previously released titles such as A human vampire seeks the suicidal person’s approval, A few rounds with Shane MacGowan and the Kabul SwallowHe acquired the Australian and New Zealand rights and is an executive producer of the film.
“Jamieson Pierce’s vision is both bold and ambitious, and I’m excited to support this groundbreaking production that dares to explore the raw beauty of human connection and desire with unflinching honesty. This is an imaginative project that has the potential to redefine the boundaries in cinema, and I’m excited,” said Pivot Pictures MD To see it come alive.” Luisa Paletti.