Argentine director Lisandro Alonso will be the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Jaeger-LeCoultre’s 2014 Filmmaker in Residence.
A minimalist filmmaker whose narrative work has a documentary-like aesthetic, Alonso’s most recent film was “Jauja” with Viggo Mortensen, which was nominated for the Un Certain Regard Award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
“Many times I think less is more,” Alonso told Variety. “It makes for a nice contrast to many big U.S. films.”
His other films include “La Libertad,” “Los Muertos,” “Fantasma,” and “Liverpool” — all of which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.
Alonso told Variety that he plans to use his residency to develop his next project, an exploration of people who live (and search for gold) in the Amazon jungle environment.
“I’m thinking about what kind of film can I make [in Brazil] about people who live outside of civilization and society and all these kinds of structures that we have,” said Alonso.
Alonso’s selection was announced at a dinner in New York City’s Indochine restaurant that was co-hosted by mystery author Charles Finch, Film Society of Lincoln Center executive director Lesli Klainberg, “Capote” director Bennett Miller, “Welcome to the Dollhouse” director Todd Solondz, and “Precious” producer Lisa Cortes.
“Being here and having the chance to meet people who are far away from my own world, it’s fantastic,” said Alonso.
Last year’s filmmaker in residence was director Andrea Arnold (“Fish Tank”), who used her time to develop the script and work on pre-production details for her next film, “American Honey.”
The celebratory dinner also named select members of the initiative’s Advisory Board, a list that includes Cortes, “The Immigrant” director James Gray, “Savage Grace” director Tom Kalin, “3 Backyards” director Eric Mendelsohn, Miller, “The Namesake” director Mira Nair, “Love is Strange” director Ira Sachs, Solondz, “Stand Up Guys” director Fisher Stevens, Marisa Tomei, and “Boys Don’t Cry” producer Christine Vachon.
