Please note that the film you are about to see is taken from real material of cinema history, namely the disclaimers and warnings that frame the existence of many films. However, any collusion between art and industry, any conflict of interest between freedom of creation and the law, or any hint of moralism on the life of images, would be purely incidental and unintentional.
The Film You Are About To See is designed as an anthology of disclaimers gathered from a variety of works spanning across cinema’s century-long history, reflecting on the complicated relationship between film and ideology. Is cinema supposed to be a representation of life as it is or is it solely a work of the imagination? Is it a reflection of the worldview of its author only or rather a seductive vehicle for the ideologies of the times? The film fragments that Martinot inserts in between intertitles in this carefully curated montage remind us of the sheer force of the cinematic spectacle, whose ever fascinating nature has made it the target of constant property ownership debates, ideological policing and censorship ever since its magic lantern beginnings. (Oana Ghera)
Maxime Martinot is a French director, editor and writer. After his cinema studies in Paris 8, he has been working between Brittany, Paris and Lisbon. His first feature film Trois contés de Borges won two prizes at FIDMarseille and was released in French theaters in 2018. His short essay film Histoire de la révolution won the Best Short Film Award at Entrevues Belfort. In 2022, Les Antilopes was nominated for the César Awards, in the Best documentary short film category.