Let's get to know Marc Collin !

marc collin french may cinema programme


Craving for good films? You must not miss the long-awaited French May Cinema Program this month. French May Arts Festival is well-known for the diversified aspects of arts events from visual arts to installations, from music to cinema. 


This year, with the celebration of the fifth edition of the annual free music festival Make Music, Hong Kong! presented by Alliance Française de Hong Kong, the programs merge the boundaries between music and cinema. Why don’t we watch the soundscape, and enjoy the cinematic music at the same time? 

Who is Marc Collin? What is Marc Collin famous for? 

You might not be aware of the hidden preference of the organisers, though it is actually obvious - we love Marc Collin! 

Hong Kong audiences might be a bit inexperienced with Marc Collin, but if you are interested in French culture and French cinema, you should definitely check the works of Marc Collin and his band Nouvelle Vague



Marc Collin is a French musician, composer and producer. He co-created the acclaimed band Nouvelle Vague that came several times to Hong Kong in the last 20 years. Nouvelle Vague is famous for its bossa nova covers of New Wave hits of the 80s. Prior to this, he created the band Ollano with Xavier Jamaux. His works ranged from music to cinema, blending the art of both. Collin has already set up a production company and co-produced his first feature film Le Choc du futur in 2018 about the emergence of women at the end of the 70s in the very masculine electronic music world. In 2022, he has just released his new work, Why Versailles? a comprehensive documentary about the emergence of the French Touch in the 90s in the very bourgeois city of Versailles.

What people say about Le Choc du futur


Marc collin french may cinema 2022
“A beguiling central performance and a near-numinous belief in the transformative power of music are the highlights of this modest yet perfectly formed French-language drama about the origins of synthesizer pop.” 

– Kevin Maher, Times (UK)

“Driven by a great turn from Alma Jodorowsky, it celebrates the creation and possibilities of music through a distinctly female filter.”

– Ian Freer, Empire Magazine


After Le Choc du futur

Not only blurring the boundaries between music and cinema, Marc Collin blends fiction and documentary in his latest film production Why Versailles?. Also focusing on the music theme, Collin shows the scenario of the 1990s and 2000s French electronic music, a movement at the origin of the "French touch" that conquered all the dance floors around the world, specifically related to Versailles, thus trying to answer the question “Why Versailles?”. 

Air, Phoenix, Étienne de Crécy, Alex Gopher… All those extremely popular bands have a common origin: Versailles. They all marked the electronic music international scene and influenced so many artists. Marc Collin, producer and musician, also from Versailles and of the same generation, launched his career with some of them. He tells the story in his documentary Why Versailles? In a form of a docu-fiction, Collin browses the roots of this movement and how it emerged, from high-school bands made of passionates to praised artists. All those bands and artists testify in a very rich and dense piece of work. He also tells how this influence lasted and is still so strong in the music industry. Fascinating. 

Why is Marc Collin important for the 2022 French May Arts Festival? 

Marc Collin is an artist in (between) music and cinema. So how can Collin only appear in the Cinema Program? In 2022 French May Arts Festival, Alliance Française de Hong Kong also presents the annual music festival Make Music, Hong Kong!, and Collin is one of the patrons supporting the festival! 

What does the French musician say about the music festival? Join us and celebrate music together. 

More Selections of French May Cinema Program 

This article introduces two Marc Collin’s films of the French May Cinema Program, but there are more films from talented producers, directors and musicians to bring you the French vibe. 

If you are a fan of the 60s and 70s music, you must not miss Guy directed and acted by Alex Lutz, which is commented as “a sparkling, ironic salute to age and passing time” by the Hollywood Reporter. Alex Lutz won César Award for Best Actor and Lumières Award for Best Actor with the film! 

Talking about French classics, Elevator to the Gallows by Louis Malle might attract you. Don’t forget Jacques Demy’s The Young Girls of Rochefort and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg are also eternal masterpieces! 

Read More: Focus sur Serge Gainsbourg


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