Isild Le Besco

Isild Le Besco and her mother, Catherine Belkodja, 1986, Paris, all rights reserved

interview by ANNA DUBOSC
portrait by NICOLAS HIDIROGLOU

 

Isild Le Besco shooting Bas-Fonds, 2009, Limousin,<br />photo by Nicolas Hidiroglou

The extraordinary-looking 28-year-old Parisian actress Isild le Besco’s shy, almost cherubic face and fine blonde hair are a remarkable contrast to the unbridled violence of the films she directs. She began acting at 13, and in 2003 she directed her first feature, Demi-Tarif, which was acclaimed by both Chris Marker and Jean-Luc Godard. She published her first novel, Sang d’encre, in 2007. An icon of independence — as an actress, filmmaker, writer, and painter — Isild has steered clear of the celebrity path, engaging herself in her own artistic projects. Her provocative third feature film, Bas-fonds, was released at the end of 2010.

ANNA DUBOSC —…