Jodie Foster Retrospective

Description

Jodie Foster, a star with a rare figure in American cinema, has built a remarkable and unique career over more than fifty years, navigating between popular successes, auteur films, and personal projects. Born in 1962 in Los Angeles, a child prodigy, she started acting in TV series and commercials at a very young age before establishing herself in cinema. The year 1976 marked a decisive turning point in her life: at only 12 years old, she impressed in Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver, earning her first Oscar nomination. That same year, she showcased her versatility with her role in Alan Parker's Bugsy Malone, a musical performed exclusively by children. After studying literature at Yale University, Foster confirmed her status as an actress seeking new challenges. In The Blood of Others (1984), an adaptation of Simone de Beauvoir's novel directed by Claude Chabrol, she reconnects with French culture, which she knows well from studying at the French Lycée in Los Angeles. In 1988, The Accused earned her first Oscar thanks to her moving portrayal of a woman victimized by a gang rape. In 1991, she won a second Oscar for her role as Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs, a cult thriller by Jonathan Demme. She then continued with films as diverse as Maverick (1994) and Contact (1997), pursuing a path characterized by her refusal to capitalize on her successes by repeating the same roles; she challenges herself with very different universes and narrative approaches, from Martin Scorsese to Alan Parker, from David Fincher to Neil Jordan, from Spike Lee to Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Her move into directing aligns with her desire to broaden her exploration, focusing on marginalized characters, family relationships, and human vulnerabilities. Like her free and determined characters, often contrary to Hollywood star-system norms, Jodie Foster has always maintained her privacy, staying as far as possible from media hype. From the 2000s onwards, she chose to slow down her career to prioritize her family life. Her public coming out, humorously, emotionally, and subtly expressed during her Golden Globes speech in 2013 in front of her partner and children – “I am so proud of our modern family” – appears as the natural culmination of a life led with coherence, independence, and intellectual honesty. This freedom guides her artistic choices and allows her to select her projects with high standards. Now rarely seen on screens, she was recently praised for The Mauritanian, which earned her a Golden Globe, and for her return to television in True Detective, a fourth season with a female cast, acclaimed and criticized for this reason. The private life of Rebecca Zlotowski, her latest film, marks her first major role in French and testifies to the unbroken curiosity of an artist – actress, director, and producer – who has never ceased to reinvent herself. Jodie Foster, actress From the heartbreaking child in Taxi Driver to the determined lawyer in The Mauritanian, Jodie Foster has built an exceptional career based on the intelligence of her choices and the strength of her characters. Rejecting ease, she favors roles of independent women, often facing moral dilemmas or extreme situations. An demanding filmography that spans half a century of cinema and demonstrates a rare fidelity to her artistic convictions. Jodie Foster, director Working with filmmakers from very different backgrounds, Jodie Foster has continuously refined her sensitivity and drawn inspiration from it. Her work as a director extends and deepens the themes dear to her. From the gifted child in Little Man Tate to the troubled characters in The Beaver or Money Monster, her films explore human vulnerabilities, family conflicts, and mechanisms of exclusion. Behind the camera, she favors a simple and attentive staging, revealing a sensitive and empathetic view of the human being.

Highlights

• Retrospective of 17 Jodie Foster films
• Tribute to a career spanning over fifty years
• Presentation at the Swiss Cinematheque in Lausanne

General Information

The Jodie Foster retrospective highlights the exceptional journey of the actress and director through 17 iconic films. This event takes place at the Swiss Cinematheque in Lausanne, offering cinephiles a unique opportunity to rediscover her significant works.

Location

Avenue du Théâtre 6, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland

Hide Map

Loading map...

How to get there

Get Directions