Vaucluse, Luberon, Provence ... land of cinema

Historically, the department has served as a natural setting for cinema and television thanks to its natural landscapes and its sunshine ... Spotlight.

Some scenes from the film "The Heart of Men" (1, 2 and 3), box office success, were shot in Lourmarin.
In the house Jean Vilar, which faces the town hall of Avignon, a municipal service like no other works under the auspices of the 7th art ...

However, the city's cinema office leaves the spotlight on others. Its mission: to help film crews choose Avignon as a setting for their film or television fiction. Recording authorizations, logistical needs, knowledge of the field, these men behind the scenes bring a practical perspective to filmmakers.

"Often, the filmmakers only know Avignon through Google," says Jean-Pierre Bonifay, director of the cinema bureau. "Our job is to say no when some directors take their dreams for realities." One day, a filmmaker wanted to block the Crillon door for a whole day. Technically, we can still do it, but we will not poison the lives of 50,000 people! "

Security is also an important aspect of office work. Its members must ensure that the heritage is preserved and that the teams work in the best possible conditions. "For the filming at the Palais des Papes, for example, you have to take into account the tonnage that the square can hold, and you can not put cranes or big trucks. Vincent Veniat, in charge of shooting in the cinema office.

Vaucluse, silence it turns!
The series "No limit" with Vincent Elbaz.
A network of partners

Despite the constraints to be taken into account, Avignon and the Vaucluse remain prime destinations for film crews. Thanks to its rich heritage and easy access from Paris, Provence attracts audiovisual productions from all over the world.

"We are in contact with them during the festivals," said Lionel Kmiec, chairman of the film commission Luberon Vaucluse. In Cannes, La Rochelle or Clermont-Ferrand, it boasts the merits of Provence, which abounds in various scenery.

Economical consequences

This seduction operation is not completely disinterested. The direct and indirect economic benefits to the department are significant. According to the chairman of the Luberon Vaucluse commission, they would amount to 2 million euros for the shoots made in 2014.

If Jean-Paul Bonifay of the Avignon cinema office is more cautious about this figure, he admits that the spin-offs on the local economy are not negligible. "After the broadcast of the series" Inquisitio "(on France 2 in 2012, NDLR), the tourist office called us to say that people wanted to come to Avignon and to discover the Palais des Papes following the soap opera.

Vaucluse, silence it turns!
"The Dominici case" with Michel Serrault.
To the tourism boom is added the hotel and commercial manna linked to the arrival of a film crew. It is also beneficial for employment. The film commission Luberon Vaucluse collaborates with Pôle Emploi Spectacles in the organization of castings and the recruitment of technicians to privilege the local workforce.

"For the filming of the" Sang de la vigne "(TV series on France 3, Editor's note), half of the technical team was hired in the Vaucluse. Their work was so appreciated that they were taken back for filming in the Var and Languedoc-Roussillon ", welcomes Lionel Kmiec.

Knowing that filming is important for the image of a city and a region, certain productions do not hesitate to fall into a form of bargaining. "Avignon has a notoriety sufficient thanks to its very rich patrimony, cowardly André Mathieu, municipal councilor delegated to the festivals and events, but for other communes less well endowed, this blackmail can bear fruit."

Still more shooting

The activity of the film commission Luberon Vaucluse is increasing. Since 2010, the average of the shooting days has been multiplied by three. Last year, the commission recorded 213 in the territory.
Despite this success, the team lives on its reserves. "We offer a free service and subsidies (from the county council) tend to decline, mechanically we are in trouble," said Lionel Kmiec. This film enthusiast does not despair and is looking for new premises for the commission, which sits in Carpentras. He plans to organize a tour of the famous film locations in the manner of the Hollywood circuits. "We must work relentlessly in the Luberon Vaucluse, because this territory is a little abandoned for the benefit of the Alpilles and Mont Ventoux in recent times," analyzes the chairman of the film commission Luberon Vaucluse. production of the Region, it is the littoral departments that benefit most from it. "
Not bitter though, he likes to dream about other shoots, with the artists he admires. "Why not Daniel Auteuil ... I appreciate him as an actor and as a man." Let us bet that the cinema in the Vaucluse still has beautiful films before it.
Dream decorations
Provence, its nature, its charming villages ... But not that! Provençal Colorado, with its flamboyant colors and lunar volumes, is one of the most popular spots.
Urban side, in Avignon, the small streets typical of downtown still attract as much productions. "The prison of Sainte-Anne is also in great demand, notes Jean-Pierre Bonifay, it is the only prison of France decommissioned but that still remains in its juice.
Lionel Kmiec, president of the Luberon Vaucluse film commission, explains: "We have administrative buildings as well as architectural villas, historic monuments, industrial sites ... It is this diversity that attracts" .
Greg Germain, director of the association AF & C which manages the Off of Avignon and who also produced in 2014 "Romeo and Juliet", telefilm shot in the Vaucluse, highlights this wealth: "It is an absolutely extraordinary department. well was helped by the town hall of Avignon, for all that was logistics, location, access to various interlocutors, recruitment of the 300 Vauclusian extras ... Turning here is a way to make known the beauties of the region.
Everything is done to attract the productions on the territory. "We organize" landmarks ", a tracking circuit for film and television professionals that allows them to feel the atmosphere of the department, explains Lionel Kmiec, sometimes taking them to very visual places can make a little change the scenario. They are artists, they work with the favorites. "
From "Manon des sources" to "Swimming Pool": a few mythical filmsThe Hand on the collar of Alfred Hitchcock, De Rouille and Jacques Audiard's bone ... Many great films have been shot in Paca. The region does not lack cinematic assets. In particular, the Vaucluse has been the setting for some monuments of the 7th art. Selected pieces.
Vaucluse, silence it turns! "A balcony on the sea" with Jean Dujardin. Manon of the sources (1952): Mirabeau, Vaugines, Ansouis, Marcel Pagnol turned the territory like nobody (our picture). In 1986, Claude Berri will turn his adaptation, preceded by Jean de Florette.
Les Amants (1958): Louis Malle filmed in Velleron and L'Isle-sur-la Sorgue certain scenes of the famous film with Jeanne Moreau.
Mouchette (1967): The story of the adolescent Mouchette, directed by Robert Bresson, was filmed in the Vaucluse, despite some allusions to the North.
The Hussard on the roof (1994): The adaptation of the novel by Giono, signed Jean-Paul Rappeneau, happens in Cucuron, Sivergues, Banon, Redortier or Walnut (but also in Bouches-du-Rhône and Hautes -Alps).
(1995): Josiane Balasko has toured several towns in the department: Apt, Roussillon, Avignon, Cavaillon, Murs and Bonnieux. Swimming-pool (2003): The remake of François Ozon was shot in a villa in Ménerbes.
A good year: from Ridley Scott with Russel Crow, Marion Cotillard and didier Bourdon, the film was filmed partly in the famous village of Gordes

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