‘The Beast by Bertrand Bonello’

Sergei Loznitsa has chosen La bête (2023) to accompany his State of Cinema address, the tenth feature film by French director Bertrand Bonello, which had its world premiere on 3 September 2023 at the 80th Venice International Film Festival as part of the official competition. Set in the near future, where artificial intelligence reigns, human emotions have become a threat. To rid herself of them, Gabrielle (Léa Seydoux) must purify her DNA by delving into her past lives. There, she finds Louis (George MacKay), her great love. But fear overwhelms her – a premonition that disaster is looming.

Bertrand Bonello was born in Nice in 1968. He alternates between music and cinema. His first feature film, Quelque chose d'organique (1998), was presented at the Berlin Festival (Panorama). Le pornographe (2001), starring Jean-Pierre Léaud, was selected for the Critics' Week in Cannes and won the FIPRESCI prize. Saint Laurent (2014), also in Competition at Cannes, represented France at the Oscars and received ten César nominations. The same year, Bertrand Bonello organised an exhibition at the Centre Pompidou and released an album, Accidents. His ninth film Coma was presented in competition at the Berlinale 2022 in the Encounters selection. It was awarded the FIPRESCI prize.