LOUIS XIII®, in Association With the Film Foundation, Organizes Unique "East Meets West" Conversation Between Iconic Filmmakers Stanley Kwan and Alexander Payne

Paris (ots/PRNewswire) -

During the 65th annual Cannes Film Festival, LOUIS XIII(R) hosted
an intimate gathering at the beautiful Majestic Beach. For the first
time, American director Alexander Payne and Asian director Stanley
Kwan had the opportunity to discuss film and their creative vision in
an event titled EAST MEETS WEST in front of more than 80 journalists
and cinephiles.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120607/531040 )

LOUIS XIII(R) Cognac, the world's most esteemed spirit from the
House of Remy Martin(R), an official supplier of the Cannes Film
Festival, forged an exciting partnership in 2011 with The Film
Foundation, the leading non-profit organization dedicated to film
preservation founded by Martin Scorsese.

Coming from different horizons, the two world-renowned filmmakers
shared their thoughts on cinema, discussed their professional
individual journeys and answered questions.

Stanley Kwan discussed a scene from Ozu's movie TOKYO STORY and
explained "I remember the first time I saw TOKYO STORY: basically, in
this movie 'less is more'. I was a kid and I really experienced a
movie's power."

Alexander Payne commented, "Ozu never made a bad film. He worked
in many different genres; in the silent period he made comedies and
thrillers. Essentially he's a comedy director, even in his
sentimental work in the 1950s. He has a profound bittersweet sense of
human comedy. He's an important director not just for Stanley and
myself but for many cineastes. Even when shooting THE DESCENDANTS, I
was thinking of Ozu, with shots of the landscape - the moments of
rest - between the dramatic scenes."

Payne then showed a clip from Sergio Leone's ONCE UPON A TIME IN
THE WEST, a film that was restored by The Film Foundation. "Sergio
Leone's ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST speaks to the thrill of cinema.
For Leone, the story is an excuse to enter the realm of cinema, to
splash around. I chose the opening credit sequence - which is so
playful, beautiful and thrilling - because it talks of the thirst for
cinema."

The two filmmakers ended their discussion by speaking about the
nature of film making. "The flash of the little idea that can be a
movie....that this idea could be a film, that leads you through the
years of actually making the film, of seeking the financing...and
then talking about it afterwards to audiences - if you're lucky to
get distribution. If the audience senses a good concept in the film,
then they know that they are in good hands with the director," said
Payne to Kwan.

Kwan responded by saying "A woman . . . seated next to me in a
cafe, some words from her, can inspire me; that can be a character in
my next film."

To highlight the quality in LOUIS XIII(R) that inspires
creativity, Stanley Kwan brought his own "touch" to the East Meets
West conversation by revealing a teaser of his new directorial
webisode featuring Zhuang Yong, the Chinese freestyle gold-medal
winner at the Barcelona Olympic Games.

Following the East Meets West conversation, Augustin Depardon,
Global Brand director, invited guests to share a LOUIS XIII(R)
Experience. "LOUIS XIII(R) is an assemblage of 1,200 different
eaux-de-vies", introduced Depardon. "The youngest is 40 years old,
the oldest is over 100 years old, so I would like to raise a glass
and toast to the art of preservation, to the art of creation, and to
our two fantastic filmmakers!"

Through the success of its first East Meets West conversation at
the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, LOUIS XIII(R) has officially staked a
claim in the art of cinema, preservation and creation. Here's to many
more LOUIS XIII(R) moments!

Photo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120607/531040

ots Originaltext: LOUIS XIII
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
Press material available at
http://www.louis-xiii.com/press/east_meets_west/ ; International
publicity
"East Meets West" conversation - ADR Prod - Sophie Bataille
sophie_bataille@hotmail.com or + 33(0)6-60-67-94-38 ; International
Press
Relations Manager, LOUIS XIII - Caroline Sarrot Lecarpentier
csl@remy-cointreau.com or +33(0)1-44-13-45-36