Alain Tanner (6 December 1929 – 11 September 2022) was a Swiss film director.

Early years and education

Tanner was born in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...

, and studied economics at the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centur ...

. In 1951, he joined the film club which

Claude Goretta Claude Goretta (23 June 1929 – 20 February 2019) was a Swiss television producer and film director. Life and Career His 1973 film '' L'Invitation'' was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. His 1981 film '' La prov ...

had recently established at the university. After his graduation and a short time working for international shipping companies in London, he continued feeling drawn to film.

Film career

Tanner found work at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

in 1955, subtitling, translating, and organizing the archive. His first film, ''

Nice Time ''Nice Time'' is a 1957 documentary film made by Alain Tanner and Claude Goretta in Britain and included in the third Free Cinema programme at the National Film Theatre, London in May 1957. It won the Experimental Film prize at the film festival ...

'' (1957), a short documentary film about Piccadilly Circus during weekend evenings, was made with Claude Goretta. Produced by the British Film Institute Experimental Film Fund, it was first shown as part of the third

Free Cinema Free Cinema was a documentary film movement that emerged in the United Kingdom in the mid-1950s. The term referred to an absence of propagandised intent or deliberate box office appeal. Co-founded by Lindsay Anderson (but he later disdained the ...

programme at the

National Film Theatre BFI Southbank (from 1951 to 2007, known as the National Film Theatre) is the leading repertory cinema in the UK, specialising in seasons of classic, independent and non-English language films. It is operated by the British Film Institute. His ...

in May 1957. The debut film won a prize at the film festival in Venice and much critical praise. Tanner went to France for a while where he assisted with several commercial films. There, he met some of the most important directors of the

French New Wave French New Wave (french: La Nouvelle Vague) is a French art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentation and a spirit of iconocla ...

in Paris as well as

Henri Langlois Henri Langlois (; 13 November 1914 – 13 January 1977) was a French film archivist and cinephile. A pioneer of film preservation, Langlois was an influential figure in the history of cinema. His film screenings in Paris in the 1950s are often ...

, the director of the

Cinémathèque Française The Cinémathèque Française (), founded in 1936, is a French non-profit film organization that holds one of the largest archives of film documents and film-related objects in the world. Based in Paris's 12th arrondissement, the archive offers ...

. But the atmosphere in the film circles of Paris displeased him; he described it as "cutthroat." Between 1960 and 1968, Tanner returned to Switzerland, and he made more than 40 films as well as documentaries for French-language television there. In 1962, he became the co-founder of the Swiss young filmmakers' "Groupe Cinque." His first feature film, ''

Charles, Dead or Alive ''Charles, Dead or Alive'' (French: ''Charles mort ou vif'') is a 1969 Swiss drama film directed by Alain Tanner. Plot Produced in reaction to the Protests of 1968, it describes the mid-life crisis of a businessman who decides to drop out of main ...

'' (1969), won the first prize at the international film festival in Locarno. His next two films, '' La Salamandre'' (1971) and ''

Jonah Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000 ''Jonah Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000'' (french: Jonas qui aura 25 ans en l'an 2000) is a 1976 Swiss drama film directed by Alain Tanner and written by Tanner and John Berger. The location of the shooting was Geneva. The film follows the lives ...

'' (1976), were made in close collaboration with the art critic and novelist

John Berger John Peter Berger (; 5 November 1926 – 2 January 2017) was an English art critic, novelist, painter and poet. His novel '' G.'' won the 1972 Booker Prize, and his essay on art criticism '' Ways of Seeing'', written as an accompaniment to the ...

, who had also worked with him, to a lesser degree and without a credit, on the writing of ''Charles''. Alain Tanner (1993) by Erling Mandelmann

Influenced by his involvement with the British

movement in London and with the French New Wave during his years in Paris, Tanner is best known for his movies '' Jonas qui aura 25 ans en l'an 2000'' (''Jonah Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000''), ''

Messidor Messidor () was the tenth month in the French Republican Calendar. The month was named after the Latin word , which means ''harvest''. Messidor was the first month of the summer quarter (). It started on 19 or 20 June. It ended on 18 or 19 Jul ...

'' and ''

Dans la ville blanche ''In the White City'' (french: Dans la ville blanche) is a 1983 Swiss drama film directed by Alain Tanner. It was entered into the 33rd Berlin International Film Festival. The film was selected as the Swiss entry for the Best Foreign Language F ...

'' (''In the White City''). ''Dans la ville blanche'', starring

Bruno Ganz Bruno Ganz (; 22 March 1941 – 16 February 2019) was a Swiss actor whose career in German stage, television and film productions spanned nearly 60 years. He was known for his collaborations with the directors Werner Herzog, Éric Rohmer, Franc ...

and shot in

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...

, was entered into the

33rd Berlin International Film Festival The 33rd annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 18 February to 1 March 1983. The festival opened with the out of competition film, ''Tootsie'' by Sydney Pollack. The Golden Bear was awarded to the British film '' Ascendancy'' d ...

. ''

Light Years Away ''Light Years Away'' (french: Les Années lumière) is a 1981 film directed by Alain Tanner. It tells the story of a young man who meets an old man who says he was taught by birds how to fly and is building a flying machine. It is based on a nove ...

'', his only English language film shot in Ireland, won the Grand Prix Prize at the

1981 Cannes Film Festival The 34th Cannes Film Festival was held from 13 to 27 May 1981. The Palme d'Or went to the '' Człowiek z żelaza'' by Andrzej Wajda. The festival opened with '' Three Brothers'' (''Tre fratelli'') by Francesco Rosi and closed with '' Honeysuckle ...

Personal life and death

Tanner and his wife, Janine, had two children. He died at a hospital in Geneva on 11 September 2022, aged 92.

Filmography

*''

'' - 1957 *'' Ramuz, passage d'un poète'' - 1961 *'' L'École'' - 1962 *'' The Apprentices'' (Les Apprentis) - 1964 *'' A City at Chandigarh (Une ville à Chandigarh)'' - 1966 *'' Docteur B., médecin de campagne'' - 1968 *''

(Charles mort ou vif)'' - 1969 *'' The Salamander (La Salamandre)'' - 1971 *'' Return from Africa (Le Retour d'Afrique)'' - 1972 *'' The Middle of the World (Le Milieu du monde)'' - 1974 *''

(Jonas qui aura 25 ans en l'an 2000)'' - 1976 *''

'' - 1979 *''

(Les Années lumière)'' - 1981 *''

In the White City ''In the White City'' (french: Dans la ville blanche) is a 1983 Swiss drama film directed by Alain Tanner. It was entered into the 33rd Berlin International Film Festival. The film was selected as the Swiss entry for the Best Foreign Language F ...

(Dans la ville blanche)'' - 1983 *''

No Man's Land No man's land is waste or unowned land or an uninhabited or desolate area that may be under dispute between parties who leave it unoccupied out of fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dump ...

'' - 1985 *'' A Flame in My Heart (Une flamme dans mon cœur)'' - 1987 *''

La Vallée fantôme ''La vallée fantôme'' (also known as ''The Ghost Valley'' and ''The Phantom Valley'') is a 1987 French-Swiss drama film written and directed by Alain Tanner and starring Jean-Louis Trintignant, Jacob Berger and Laura Morante. The film was ente ...

'' - 1987 *'' The Woman from Rose Hill (La Femme de Rose Hill)'' - 1989 *''

The Man Who Lost His Shadow The Man who lost his Shadow ( Egyptian Arabic: الرجل الذي فقد ظله translit: ''El Ragol El-lazi fakad Zilloh'') is a 1968 Egyptian film directed by Kamal El Sheikh. It is based on Fathy Ghanem’s story under the same name. The film ...

(L'Homme qui a perdu son ombre)'' - 1991 *'' The Diary of Lady M (Le journal de Lady M)'' - 1993 *'' Men of the Port (Les Hommes du port)'' - 1995 *''

Fourbi ''Fourbi'' is a 1996 French-Swiss drama film directed by Alain Tanner. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * Karin Viard - Rosemonde * Jean-Quentin Châtelain - Paul * Cécile Tanner - Marie ...

'' - 1996 *''

Requiem A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

'' - 1998 *'' Jonah and Lila, Till Tomorrow (Jonas et Lila, à demain)'' - 1999 *'' Fleurs de sang'' - 2002 *'' Paul s'en va'' - 2004

References

External links

*
Alain Tanner
at th
Swiss Film Directory
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tanner, Alain 1929 births 2022 deaths Film people from Geneva French-language film directors Swiss expatriates in England Swiss expatriates in France Swiss-French people Swiss film directors University of Geneva alumni