Whether you’re an arthouse fan or literature lover, this news is going to be a pretty exciting. And if you have a foot in each camp, then today is truly one that edges toward being mindblowing, because no one could have guessed this kind of collaboration was coming.
Screen Daily reports that French auteur Claire Denis will make her English language debut with a sci-fi film set in space, co-penned by the filmmaker with acclaimed author Zadie Smith ("White Teeth," "On Beauty") and Nick Laird. Plot details aren’t being shared just yet, except that the story will be set "beyond the solar system in a ‘future that seems like the present.’ " So yes, we’re already totally on board. And the list of collaborators is even more fascinating with Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, and astrophysicist Aurélien Barrau lending their skills, with Stuart Staples of Tindersticks one again reteaming with Denis to score the movie. Better yet, things are moving right along with production to begin either in late 2015 or early 2016.
READ MORE: Retrospective: The Films Of Clair Denis
We really can’t wait to see what Denis does in the realm of science-fiction but perhaps the short film below is a clue. Late last year, Denis directed the short "Contact by Olafur Eliasson," featuring music by Staples, to accompany an exhibition by the artist in Paris. Here’s the synopsis which reveals the intriguing roots that brought together Denis and Eliasson, which I’d imagine have some bearing on the upcoming feature, followed by the short:
In 2014, Claire Denis and Olafur Eliasson connected for the first time to explore their fascination for phenomena not yet explained by science, like black holes, and discovered along the way a shared confidence in abstraction. From their dialogues emerged a three-minute film contemplating Eliasson’s artwork Contact and the feeling of infinity that its intense yellow light inspires.
