THE WALKING MAN (L’Homme qui marche) US Premiere Drama France, 2008 In French with English subtitles 35mm/1.66/Color/Dolby SR/82 min Official Selection: San Sebastian Film Festival Zabaltegi Official Competition (2007), Cannes, Sélection ACID (2007) Directed by: Aurélia Georges Written by: Aurélia Georges, Elodie de Monlibert Cinematography: Hélène Louvart Editor: Jean-Christophe Hym Music: Arnaud Sallé Produced by: Cédric Walter Production Company: Château-Rouge Production Co-production: CNC, Procirep, Région Centre Val-de-Loire With: Cesar Sarachu (Atemian), John Arnold (Daniel), Mireille Perrier (Liliane), Judith Henry (Irene), Florence Loiret-Caille (Edwige), Miglen Mirtchev (Micha), Gilles David (L’editeur), Françoise Meunier (Catherine) www.rendez-vouspictures.com Inspired by Russian writer Vladimir Slepian, The Walking Man chronicles the life of Viktor Atemian (César Sarachu, The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes), a political refugee who comes to Paris and briefly becomes a celebrated writer in intellectual circles. A poetic meditation and Situationnist dérive, the film follows an uncompromising Atemian as he withdraws from the literary world and its idiosyncrasies. As time passes and success doesn’t return, he finds himself penniless, staying in cheap hotels to finally end up homeless. AURELIA GEORGES Born in Paris in 1973, Aurélia Georges is a young writer/director who graduated from film school La Fémis. She made two documentaries and five short films, including Sur la Pente, screened at the Premiers Plans Film Festival in 2002. She has also worked as a production assistant and contributed to the magazine L’Art du Cinéma. The Walking Man is her critically acclaimed directorial debut. PRESS “...This minimalist and poetic first film offers a peculiar experience: walking through space and time, following the steps of a “celestial hobo”. (Télérama) “The Walking Man wouldn’t exist without César Sarachu, an actor summoning the ghostly silhouettes of sculptor Alberto Giacometti. Aurélia Georges doesn’t seek empathy towards this wanderer, pariah and anti social hobo. She observes his isolation, the unruly idealism that leads him to refuse any gesture of pity or false kindness.” (Le Monde) “Loosely based on the life of sometime author Vladimir Slepian (a name kept alive thanks to philosopher Gilles Deleuze), pic asks how it's possible for a person to leave so little record of a life on earth... Georges is good at emphasizing his solitary stance...” (Variety)