Philippe Bober
| Philippe Bober | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| 💼 Occupation | Film producer, entrepreneur |
| 📆 Years active | 1987 - present |
| Twitter= | |
Philippe Bober is a French film producer, film sales professional, entrepreneur and founder of the group of companies Coproduction Office.
In three decades he produced 33 films to date[1] winning more than 20 prizes in Cannes, Venice or Berlinale,[2] and has contributed to making audacious films possible.[3]
He worked and is working with, among others, Lars von Trier, Roy Andersson, Ulrich Seidl, Jessica Hausner, Michelangelo Frammartino, Kornél Mundruczó, Carlos Reygadas, Gaspar Noé, Gust van den Berghe, Heinrich Sabl and Ruben Östlund.
Biography[edit]
A French business school graduate, at age 22 Philippe Bober moved to Germany where he worked for a year at TV station WDR and for 6 months as assistant producer in Berlin.[4]
After seeing Lars von Trier's The Element of Crime, he contacted the Danish director and participated in his following project as associate producer.[5] In 1987 he opened his own company,[6] naming it Coproduction Office after his involvement with the production of Europa (Cannes Jury Prize 1992), for which he brought in the non-Scandinavian financing.[7] He continued to collaborate with von Trier, acting as German co-producer and sales agent for The Kingdom and selling the series to key distributors that eventually released the 4 episodes theatrically in USA, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. In 1994 Bober started Libérator Productions in Paris, a fifty-fifty joint venture with Zentropa.[8] He was producer in 1996 for Germany and France, with Libérator, for Breaking the Waves.
In the same years Bober encountered the work of Roy Andersson, whose shorts Something Happened and World of Glory were shown at L’Etrange Festival in Paris. As French and German producer, Bober joined Songs from the Second Floor in 1996 (Cannes Jury Prize in 2000).[9] In addition to handling the international sales for Andersson's complete oeuvre, Coproduction Office has produced all three Andersson films of the past two decades forming the "Living Trilogy", lastly A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (Venice 2014 Golden Lion). Bober is acting as German and French coproducer for Andersson's upcoming film currently in production.[10]
Also in progress, since 2006, is Dau,[11] the second feature by Russian filmmaker Ilya Khrzhanovsky whose film 4 was handled by Coproduction Office.
As regular programmer of the Sarajevo Film Festival, in 1998 Philippe Bober invited Gaspar Noè's I Stand Alone.[12] He was afterwards German co-producer for Noè's Enter the Void (in competition at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival).
The collaboration with Austrian director Ulrich Seidl started in 1999[13] as Bober handled the international sales for Models: "Every documentary from Ulrich has its own mise en scéne, since his first one (that could have been his school graduation documentary if he hadn't been excluded from the school for that reason). Yet in Models the mise en scène is a bit more emphasized".[14] He produced with and sold all of Ulrich Seidl's feature films, Dog Days, Import/Export, and the Paradise Trilogy, and sold all of his documentaries since 1999.[15] At the moment Coproduction Office is involved as German and French producer for Ulrich Seidl's upcoming film.[16]
The relationship with Jessica Hausner began as Bober saw her graduation short film Inter-view, when it won the Cinefondation Prize in Cannes in 1999.[17] Coproduction Office then acquired the film and distributed it theatrically in France.[18] Bober co-produced her debut feature Lovely Rita and has worked with Hausner since then, helping developing the award winning films Hotel, Lourdes and most recently Amour Fou.[19]
With Hungarian filmmaker Kornél Mundruczó the collaboration began in 2001 with a short film, Afta. Together with Mundruczó's partner Viktória Petrányi, he produced Afta and his four following films starting from his first feature Pleasant Days. The film won the Silver Leopard at Locarno 2002 before additional scenes were shot and returned to the cutting table with a shorter version, then entering Rotterdam International Film Festival in 2003.[20]
In the early 2000s Italian director Michelangelo Frammartino joined Coproduction Office with his first feature Il Dono (for which Bober handled the international sales), followed by the acclaimed Le Quattro Volte, where Bober acted as German producer and was nominated for the 2011 David di Donatello for Best Producer along with the Italian producers.[21]
In an interview by Cineuropa about Coproduction Office's process of discovery and nurture of new talents, Bober highlighted that he is "loyal to auteurs (...). The auteurs and the company grow together."[22] “I love filmmakers who take risks, daring films that are also well made, because I’m interested both in content and form,”[23] added Bober in regards to Battle of Heaven, Carlos Reygadas' second feature which was produced by Coproduction Office together with Mexican producer Jaime Romandia.[24] For Reygadas' debut film Japón Philippe Bober handled the international sales: made possible also thanks to the Hubert Bals fund of the Rotterdam Film Festival where it premiered in 2002,[25] it was afterwards presented in another length and edit (made in Paris by Nicolas Schmerkin[26]) at the Cannes Film Festival gaining the Caméra d'Or special mention for Best First Feature.
In 2005 Ruben Östlund and his producer Erik Hemmendorff approached Bober with the short Autobiographical scene number 6889, that Coproduction Office took for international sales.[27] After seeing some scenes of Östlund's first feature Involuntary at Rotterdam International Film Festival's Cinemart in 2007,[28] Bober decided to jump onboard as sales agent and Danish co-producer.[29] Their partnership carried on with Play, then in 2014 with a standing ovation for Force Majeure (Un Certain Regard)[30] and in 2017 with The Square winning the Palme d'Or in Cannes.
“It's not the stories that interests me, otherwise I'd be a book publisher. It's how the stories are put into images and film language, in particular those directors who ask themselves questions about this language and take it to its limit”,[31] said Philippe Bober on the company's line up.
The efforts of Coproduction Office include the restoration of ten key films of Roberto Rossellini's filmography, a project undertaken in collaboration with Cinecittà Istituto Luce and the Cineteca di Bologna.
Since 1996, Philippe Bober has been part of the programming committee of the Sarajevo Film Festival, initiating the CineLink Industry Days in 2003[32] and acting today as a festival board member.[33] He occasionally teaches at the Atelier Ludwigsburg-Paris, the Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie in Berlin and the National Film School of Denmark.
Filmography[edit]
Includes films produced by Philippe Bober. For films sold and produced by Philippe Bober, see main article: Coproduction Office filmography
- 2019: About Endlessness by Roy Andersson (Venice Competition)
- 2019: Little Joe by Jessica Hausner (Cannes Competition - Prix d'interprétation féminine – Best Actress)
- 2019: Aren't You Happy? by Susanne Heinrich (Max Ophüls Preis 2019 - Best Film, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury)
- 2017: The Square by Ruben Östlund (Cannes Competition - Palme d'Or)
- 2014: A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on the Existence by Roy Andersson (Venice Competition - Golden Lion)
- 2014: Amour Fou by Jessica Hausner (Cannes - Un certain regard)
- 2014: Force Majeure by Ruben Östlund (Cannes - Un certain regard Jury Prize)
- 2013: Alberi by Michelangelo Frammartino (MoMA PS1)
- 2013: Paradise: Hope by Ulrich Seidl (Berlinale Competition)
- 2012: Paradise: Faith by Ulrich Seidl (Venice Competition - Jury Award)
- 2012: Paradise: Love by Ulrich Seidl (Cannes Competition)
- 2012: Meteora by Spiros Stathoupoulos (Berlinale Competition)
- 2011: Play by Ruben Östlund (Cannes - Quinzaine des réalisateurs)
- 2011: Boro in the Box by Bertrand Mandico (Cannes Competition)
- 2010: Tender Son - The Frankenstein Project by Kornél Mundruczó (Cannes Competition)
- 2010: Le Quattro Volte by Michelangelo Frammartino (Cannes - Quinzaine des réalisateurs)
- 2010: Aurora by Cristi Puiu (Cannes - Un certain regard)
- 2009: Lourdes by Jessica Hausner (Venice Competition - Fipresci Award)
- 2009: Enter the Void by Gaspar Noé (Cannes Competition)
- 2009: Women Without Men by Shirin Neshat (Venice Competition - Silver Lion)
- 2008: Delta by Kornél Mundruczó (Cannes Competition - Fipresci Award)
- 2008: Involuntary by Ruben Östlund (Cannes - Un certain regard)
- 2007: You, the Living by Roy Andersson (Cannes - Un certain regard)
- 2007: Import/Export by Ulrich Seidl (Cannes Competition)
- 2004: Hotel by Jessica Hausner (Cannes - Un certain regard)
- 2003: Nói Albinói by Dagur Kári (Göteborg - Fipresci Award)
- 2002: Pleasant Days by Kornél Mundruczó (Locarno - Silver Leopard)
- 2001: Lovely Rita by Jessica Hausner (Cannes - Un certain regard)
- 2001: Dog Days by Ulrich Seidl (Venice Competition - Grand Prix)
- 2000: Songs from the Second Floor by Roy Andersson (Cannes Competition - Jury Prize)
- 1996: Breaking the Waves by Lars von Trier (Cannes Competition - Grand Prix)
- 1995: The Kingdom by Lars von Trier (Venice Out of Competition)
- 1991: Europa by Lars von Trier (Cannes Competition - Jury Prize)
- 1990: Good News by Ulrich Seidl (Viennale - Wiener Film Prize)
References[edit]
- ↑ "Philippe Bober à Cannes : " On ne peut pas faire entrer Lars von Trier dans un tableau Excel "" (in français). 2019-05-18. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
- ↑ "Draft:Coproduction Office". Wikipedia. 2017-09-06.
- ↑ Bobeau, Anthony (18 May 2012). "Coproduction Office célèbre 25 ans d'audace". Les Films Français.
- ↑ Levine, Sydney. "ISA of the Day: Coproduction Office: 3 Festival Films | IndieWire". www.indiewire.com. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
- ↑ Staff, Variety (2001-05-04). "Philippe Bober". Variety. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
- ↑ Wiesner, Maria; Cannes. "Filmproduzent Philippe Bober: Little Joe groß machen". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in Deutsch). ISSN 0174-4909. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
- ↑ Staff, Variety (2001-05-04). "Philippe Bober". Variety. Retrieved 2017-10-17.
- ↑ "Blickpunkt:Film | News | Coproduction Office als Weltvertrieb und Finanzier". www.mediabiz.de (in Deutsch). Retrieved 2017-09-20.
- ↑ "Philippe Bober: "I'm interested in art with content"". www.nordiskfilmogtvfond.com. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
- ↑ "The Swedish Film Institute backs Roy Andersson's About Endlessness". Cineuropa - the best of european cinema. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
- ↑ "Top 100 Most Anticipated Films of 2013: #5. Ilya Khrzhanovsky's Dau - IONCINEMA.com". www.ioncinema.com. Retrieved 2017-09-26.
- ↑ "Granaatscherven zijn souvenirs geworden; Het filmfestival van Sarajevo zoekt zijn eigen kracht". NRC (in Nederlands). Retrieved 2017-09-26.
- ↑ "Philippe Bober • Seller/Producer". Cineuropa - the best of european cinema. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
- ↑ "Philippe Bober : "Il y a de l'imprévisible chez Seidl..." UniversCiné VoD – Articles, critiques, cinéma indépendant. Téléchargement Films, Vidéo à la demande". www.universcine.com (in français). Retrieved 2017-09-05.
- ↑ "Philippe Bober: "I'm interested in art with content"". www.nordiskfilmogtvfond.com. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
- ↑ "Blickpunkt:Film | News | Ulrich Seidl spielt "Böse Spiele"". www.mediabiz.de (in Deutsch). Retrieved 2017-09-20.
- ↑ "Lovely Rita's Lovely Producer". www.filmfestivals.com. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
- ↑ Inter-View (1999), retrieved 2017-09-20
- ↑ Levine, Sydney. "Cannes 2014 What I Saw #6: Amour Fou | IndieWire". www.indiewire.com. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
- ↑ "Pleasant Days". IFFR. 2015-09-04. Retrieved 2017-09-26.
- ↑ "David di Donatello 2011". Wikipedia.
- ↑ "Philippe Bober • Seller/Producer". Cineuropa - the best of european cinema. Retrieved 2017-09-06.
- ↑ "Battle in Heaven for Tartan in the UK". Cineuropa - the best of european cinema. Retrieved 2017-09-26.
- ↑ "Jaime Romandia". IMDb. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
- ↑ "Cosmopolitan Aesthetics in the Films of Carlos Reygadas Kerry Hegarty / Miami University Ohio – Flow". www.flowjournal.org. Retrieved 2017-09-26.
- ↑ "Nicolas Schmerkin : "Ce n'est pas parce qu'un film est expérimental qu'il est chiant, non regardable, et qu'il doit rester dans un tiroir." | Format Court". www.formatcourt.com (in français). Retrieved 2017-11-09.
- ↑ "Philippe Bober: "I'm interested in art with content"". www.nordiskfilmogtvfond.com. Retrieved 2017-10-17.
- ↑ "CineMart selection 2007". IFFR. 2015-09-16. Retrieved 2017-09-22.
- ↑ "Philippe Bober: "I'm interested in art with content"". www.nordiskfilmogtvfond.com. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
- ↑ "Standing ovation for Ruben Östlund in Cannes". Cinema Scandinavia. 2014-05-22. Retrieved 2017-09-06.
- ↑ "Philippe Bober • Seller/Producer". Cineuropa - the best of european cinema. Retrieved 2017-09-06.
- ↑ "SFF: Glavni žiri CineLinka izabrao 6 projekata". Klix.ba (in bosanski). Retrieved 2017-09-22.
- ↑ "Impressum". sff.ba (in bosanski). Retrieved 2017-09-22.
External links[edit]
Coproduction Office official website
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