The Ensorcery of James Ensor

A film written and directed by Nora Philippe and Arnaud de Mezamat – 60 minutes – 2010
Production : Abacaris Films, France, Belgium.
ARTE France, ARTE Belgium, RTBF, VRT.

Synopsis

 The silhouette of painter James Ensor still haunts the dunes of Ostend. The garish colours of his fantasies, the barbed diatribes of his political denunciations, the avant-garde experiments left behind in his workshop but also the sudden drying up of his inspiration at the turn of the century are so many themes and movements followed by the film. The voice of Jean-Quentin Châtelain reading the painter’s texts, Marie-Jeanne Séréro’s original music, the paintings themselves filmed as closely as possible, the luminous presence of Pierre Alechinsky, these are among the paths chosen by the directors to conjure up this « bewitchment ».


Distribution:
Film-documentaire page: http://www.film-documentaire.fr/4DACTION/w_fiche_film/28927_1
DVD edition with English and German versions by Abacaris Films & Arcadès
http://www.arcadesdirect.fr/fr/artistes-et-peintres/1223-ensortileges-james-ensor-dvd.html
Institutional Rights at RDM  https://www.rdm-video.fr/film-dvd/V73785/ensortileges-de-james-ensor-les.html

Award:

Etoile de la Scam, 2012.

Festivals and screenings:

FIFA, Montréal, 2011
FIPA, Biarritz, 2011
FILAF, Perpignan, 2011,
Espace ING, Brussels, 2011
Musée d’Orsay, 2012
Musée du Louvre, 2012
Etats généraux du documentaire, Lussas, 2012
Forum des images/ Scam, Paris, 2012
Ecole Normale Supérieure, 2013

Credits:

DOP : Antoine-Marie Meert, Laurent Parrault, Nora Philippe, Arnaud de Mezamat
Sound : Jocelyn Robert, Cosmas Antoniadis, Maxime Champesme, Daniel Deshays
Editor : Anne Souriau
Original Score and interpretation : Marie-Jeanne Séréro
Production : Abacaris Films, Gemsel production, Arte France, RTBF Bruxelles, VRT