Student brings French director

Student brings French director’s rarely seen films
to Rice Cinema

BY DAWN DORSEY
Special to the Rice News

The first time Daniel Stuyck saw a film by French director Olivier Assayas he was hooked, even though it almost cost him his job. This early fascination led the senior art history and Spanish major to devote the past eight months to bringing the director’s films – rarely seen in the United States – to Rice Cinema.

Assayas’ first four films, along with his most recent, will be featured at Rice Cinema from March 31 through April 10.
Several years ago, when Stuyck was working part-time at a Houston movie theater, he decided to sneak a quick peek at Assayas’ film “Late August, Early September” during his break. By the time the end credits rolled, he was a fan — he was also in hot water with his boss.

Since that early exposure, Stuyck — a projectionist at Rice Cinema — has kept up with Assayas’ films. The earlier ones remained elusive, however, because they have almost never been shown in the United States. When Rice Cinema director Charles Dove gave him the green light to work to bring the films here, Stuyck didn’t hesitate.

“What makes this a real coup is that Assayas is considered by many to be one of the greatest filmmakers working on today’s international film scene,” Stuyck said. “These four early films form kind of a holy grail of his beginnings.”

With support from the French Consulate, l’Alliance Française de Houston and Rice, Stuyck was able to procure rare prints of these films. They have never been distributed in the United States, and this is their regional and Texas premiere.

In addition to Assayas’ early work, his newest film, “Clean,” which will not be distributed in the United States until fall, will be screened. It stars Maggie Cheung, who won best actress at the Cannes Film Festival for her work in the film, and Nick Nolte in what has been described as a career-defining performance.

“We expect this to be one of the most popular films in the series since it is rumored to be Assayas’ greatest film to date,” Stuyck said.

A commemorative booklet featuring new essays about Assayas from well-known film critics, as well as an interview with the filmmaker, will be distributed to attendees.

For more information, visit the Rice Cinema Web site, <http://ricecinema.rice.edu>.