Jean-Bernard Marlin, who is half-Armenian, is set to premiere his sophomore feature film, SALEM, at the Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section.
Armenian Film Society spoke with the director, who shared that his grandmother and grandfather are both Armenian and immigrated to Marseille, France. The director's father is French and mother is Armenian, and her last name is Kafandian. Jean-Bernard Marlin grew up with Armenian culture.
Jean-Bernard Marlin made waves in Cannes in 2018 with his debut feature film, SHÉHÉRAZADE, which centered on the relationship between a young prostitute and an underage ex-convict who becomes her pimp. The film was nominated for the Caméra d'Or and won Best First Film at the César Awards.
SALEM centers on a former gang member who believes his daughter is the only one who save his community from an curse uttered by a rival gang member in his dying breath. Jean-Bernard Marlin's films center around Marseille. In an interview about his debut film, he shared: “The film is deeply rooted in Marseille, the city is one of the main characters. Marseille is a city of immigration, I myself am a product of immigration: my mother is Armenian. The characters in this film are the children of those people. When I was a child, we all had foreign origins: this blend of cultures represents Marseille.”
SALEM screens on May 25, May 26, and May 27. SHÉHÉRAZADE is available on Netflix.
