Vincent Lindon-Narrated ‘Velázquez Mystery,’ Directed by Stéphane Sorlat, Pounced on by Pulsar Content (EXCLUSIVE)
Paris-based Pulsar Content has boarded “The Velazquez Mystery,” narrated by Cannes and Venice best actor winner Vincent Lindon (“The Measure of a Man,” “The Quiet Son”), which also marks the directorial debut of renowned French producer Stéphane Sorlat.
The third part of a doc feature trilogy — following José Luis López Linares’ “Bosch: The Garden of Dreams” and his “Goya, Carriere and the Ghost of Bu?uel” — “The Velazquez Mystery” explores multiple questions raised by the painter.
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One is how Velázquez could be so admired by great painters — “the only great painter in history,” said Salvador Dalí — but remain so often on the margins of collective memory.
Quoting Pablo Picasso, Francis Bacon and Dalí, “The Velazquez Mystery” plumbs his genius. “Velázquez was a double genius, from a technical point of view, but also how he changed the rules, putting himself inside the paintings and creating labyrinths of meaning,” Sorlat told Variety.
“Guided by the symbolic thread of water, a metaphor for movement and reflection, the film traverses centuries and continents, boldly blending historical narratives, contemporary interpretations, and reflections on the universal legacy of an unmatched master,” the film’s synopsis said.
“We are thrilled to launch this documentary that took upon a wonderful journey, thanks to Vincent Lindon’s voice, to understand one of the most renowned artists from the 17th century. We are sure the buyers will travel through times and art,” said Pulsar Content founder Gilles Sousa.
“The Velázquez Mystery” is produced by Mondex & Cie, behind the whole trilogy as well as “Searching for Ingmar Bergman,” a Cannes Classics title, and Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The Realm.”
Bodega Films will release “The Velazquez Mystery” in France on Feb. 26.
The first part of the Prado painting trilogy, “Bosch: The Garden of Dreams, also directed by José Luis López-Linares (“Storm the Skies,” “El pollo, el pez y el cangrejo real”), grossed $448,329 worldwide, mostly from France.
Sorlat co-founded BAC Films with Jean Labadie in 1986. He has lead or co-lead production and distribution operations in France (Paradis Films and now Mondex et Cie) and Spain (Mate Production, Zahorimedia) and Japan, producing directors such as Theo Angelopoulos, Régis Wargnier and Cédric Klapisch.
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