Kolia Litscher
Encyclopedia
Kolia Litscher is a French actor.
Born to a Russian Swiss father and a French mother, he could not escape following in his parents’ footsteps. As a baby, he was already “on stage” in his cradle as his father, play director Hans-Peter Litscher and his actress mother Catherine Belkhodja
were performing all over Germany. His three sisters Maïwenn Le Besco
, Isild Le Besco
and Leonor Graser
are also in the acting, scriptwriting - film directing and producing business. So is his brother Jowan Le Besco
, an actor, scriptwriter - director and chief cameraman.
The last child in a family of five, Kolia was marked from birth by the cinema
and contemporary art
. His mother Catherine was just completing a film with Chris Marker
at the Beaubourg museum, when a sudden scream by painter Matta
startled her into labour. She managed to reach hospital just in time to give birth to Kolia. This "first role" was soon to be followed by his participation in Place des Vosges
, a film in which he was barely a toddler. He later played in short films by Emma de Caunes
, Michel Fehler, Joséphine Flasseur and Emmanuelle Bercot, then went on to play one of the characters in Isild Le Besco’s Demi-tarif, a film that was to be selected for over fifty film festivals and was widely acclaimed by film critics.
In Isild Le Besco’s second film Charly
, to be released on 12 September 2007, he plays Nicolas, a teenager in revolt, with Julie-Marie Parmentier
as his partner: the young boy, placed in care, is so fascinated by a postcard of Belle-Ile-en-Mer, that he runs away to try to get to his dream. Hitchhiking his way to the suburbs of Nantes, he meets Charly, a young girl living in a caravan who survives by prostituting herself.
(for Charly)
Born to a Russian Swiss father and a French mother, he could not escape following in his parents’ footsteps. As a baby, he was already “on stage” in his cradle as his father, play director Hans-Peter Litscher and his actress mother Catherine Belkhodja
Catherine Belkhodja
Catherine Belkhodja is a French artist, actress and film director.-Early life:Catherine Belkhodja was born in Paris to a Kabyle Algerian father and a French mother on 15 April 1955. She first lived and studied in Algiers where she started to write her first short stories...
were performing all over Germany. His three sisters Maïwenn Le Besco
Maïwenn Le Besco
Maïwenn |Île-de-France]]) is a French actress and film director.-Biography and career:She is the daughter of actress Catherine Belkhodja, who ushered her into the entertainment industry at a young age, an experience later chronicled by Le Besco in her one-woman shows "Le Pois Chiche" and "I'm an...
, Isild Le Besco
Isild Le Besco
Isild Le Besco is a French actress and the daughter of Catherine Belkhodja. She is of mixed Breton, Vietnamese, French and Algerian descent....
and Leonor Graser
Léonor Graser
Léonor Graser is a French actress, scriptwriter and film director.Graser is the daughter of Antoine Silber and Catherine Belkhodja, the Franco-Algerian actress and journalist of Kabyle and Turco-Mongol descent, the fourth child in a family of five. One of her sisters, Maïwenn Le Besco, is also an...
are also in the acting, scriptwriting - film directing and producing business. So is his brother Jowan Le Besco
Jowan Le Besco
Born on 26 August 1981, Jowan Le Besco is a French actor, scriptwriter, director and chief cameraman. He is the second child in a family of five, the son of Franco-Algerian actress and journalist of Kabyl and Turco-Mongol descent, Catherine Belkhodja...
, an actor, scriptwriter - director and chief cameraman.
The last child in a family of five, Kolia was marked from birth by the cinema
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and contemporary art
Contemporary art
Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...
. His mother Catherine was just completing a film with Chris Marker
Chris Marker
Chris Marker is a French writer, photographer, documentary film director, multimedia artist and film essayist. His best known films are La jetée , A Grin Without a Cat , Sans Soleil and AK , an essay film on the Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa...
at the Beaubourg museum, when a sudden scream by painter Matta
Matta
Matta may refer to:*Mata, a moshav in Israel also spelt Matta*Matta - a Union Council of Kasur District, Pakistan.*Matta, a city in Swat, NWFP Pakistan, the main centre of TNSM*Matta, a chief of Siwistan in the 7th century A.D....
startled her into labour. She managed to reach hospital just in time to give birth to Kolia. This "first role" was soon to be followed by his participation in Place des Vosges
Place des Vosges
The Place des Vosges is the oldest planned square in Paris.It is located in the Marais district, and it straddles the dividing-line between the 3rd and 4th arrondissements of Paris.- History :...
, a film in which he was barely a toddler. He later played in short films by Emma de Caunes
Emma de Caunes
Emma de Caunes is a French film actress. She is best known for playing the role of Sabine in Mr. Bean's Holiday.- Life and career :...
, Michel Fehler, Joséphine Flasseur and Emmanuelle Bercot, then went on to play one of the characters in Isild Le Besco’s Demi-tarif, a film that was to be selected for over fifty film festivals and was widely acclaimed by film critics.
In Isild Le Besco’s second film Charly
Charly
Charly is a 1968 American film directed by Ralph Nelson. The drama stars Cliff Robertson , Claire Bloom, Lilia Skala, Leon Janney and Dick Van Patten and tells the story of a mentally retarded bakery worker who is the subject of an experiment to increase human intelligence...
, to be released on 12 September 2007, he plays Nicolas, a teenager in revolt, with Julie-Marie Parmentier
Julie-Marie Parmentier
Julie-Marie Parmentier is a French actress.-Selected filmography:* Murderous Maids * Marie-Jo and Her Two Lovers * 36 Views from the Pic Saint-Loup...
as his partner: the young boy, placed in care, is so fascinated by a postcard of Belle-Ile-en-Mer, that he runs away to try to get to his dream. Hitchhiking his way to the suburbs of Nantes, he meets Charly, a young girl living in a caravan who survives by prostituting herself.
Feature films
- 1996: La Puce by Emmanuelle Bercot
- 2004: Demi tarif by Isild Le BescoIsild Le BescoIsild Le Besco is a French actress and the daughter of Catherine Belkhodja. She is of mixed Breton, Vietnamese, French and Algerian descent....
- 2006: CharlyCharlyCharly is a 1968 American film directed by Ralph Nelson. The drama stars Cliff Robertson , Claire Bloom, Lilia Skala, Leon Janney and Dick Van Patten and tells the story of a mentally retarded bakery worker who is the subject of an experiment to increase human intelligence...
by Isild Le BescoIsild Le BescoIsild Le Besco is a French actress and the daughter of Catherine Belkhodja. She is of mixed Breton, Vietnamese, French and Algerian descent....
Short films
- 1991: Place des VosgesPlace des VosgesThe Place des Vosges is the oldest planned square in Paris.It is located in the Marais district, and it straddles the dividing-line between the 3rd and 4th arrondissements of Paris.- History :...
by Catherine BelkhodjaCatherine BelkhodjaCatherine Belkhodja is a French artist, actress and film director.-Early life:Catherine Belkhodja was born in Paris to a Kabyle Algerian father and a French mother on 15 April 1955. She first lived and studied in Algiers where she started to write her first short stories... - 1998: Le nombril du monde by Emma de CaunesEmma de CaunesEmma de Caunes is a French film actress. She is best known for playing the role of Sabine in Mr. Bean's Holiday.- Life and career :...
- 1999: Je voudrais faire du cinéma by Michel Fehler
- 2000: T'es où? by Isild Le BescoIsild Le BescoIsild Le Besco is a French actress and the daughter of Catherine Belkhodja. She is of mixed Breton, Vietnamese, French and Algerian descent....
- 2003: Brûlure indienne by Joséphine Flasseur
Theatre
Kolia is the voice in:- 2002:
- DENN BLEIBEN IST NIRGEND, directed by Hans-Peter Litscher. Akademietheater, Bayerische Staatsoper, Münchner Opern-festspiele, Munich.
- ...UND DANN VERSCHWAND ALLES LICHT, an evening with texts from Antonoin Artaud, directed by Hans-Peter Litscher. Kasino Burgtheater, Vienna, Austria.
- 2003 in Switzerland:
- DIE DREI ENTFERNTE COUSINEN after Chekhov’s “The three sisters”, directed by Hans-Peter Litscher. Neumarkt Theater Zürich.
- CAUSERIE SUR LE THEME DU TRAITRE ET DU HEROS, directed by Hans-Peter Litscher. Belluard Bollwerk International, Fribourg.
- CIRCULUS VITIOSUS, directed by Hans-Peter Litscher. Zürich Festival.
Awards
(for Demi-Tarif)- 2000: Award for best Junior script at the Paris Film Festival
- 2004: Special Jury Award at the European First Film Festival of Angers
- 2004: Procirep - Premiers Plans Award at Angers
- 2004: Special Jury Award at Seoul Festival
- 2004: Jury Award at the Crossing Europe Festival of Linz
- 2004: Demi-tarif nominated for Louis Delluc Award
(for Charly)
- 2008: Best European film Award at the Crossing Europe Festival of Linz
French websites
- http://demitarif.lefilm.free.fr/film/fiche.htm Demi-tarif review
- http://dvdtoile.com/Filmographie.php?id=18650 Kolia's photos and posters
- http://www.unifrance.org/perso/perso.asp?CommonUser=&langue=21004&perso=327117&activ=(55057) Kolia’s presentation
- http://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne.html?cpersonne=30292 Allo-Ciné website
- http://www.filmdeculte.com/news/news.php?id=2075 about Charly
- http://www.tonguide.com/cinema/films_d_20.html Demi-tarif poster
- http://www.cahiersducinema.com/ article by Michel Frodon on Demi-tarif
- http://www.cinemovies.fr/fiche_film.php?IDfilm=3265 Demi-tarif review
- http://www.centroculturalefrancese.it/FRANCESE/cinemaprincipale.htm website in Italian
- http://www.lefilmfrancais.com/fiches_films/fiches/fevrier2004/Demitarif.htm Demi-tarif review
- http://www.forumdesimages.net/fr/seance.php?scc_id=2020 Forum des Images website
Austrian websites
- http://www.crossingeurope.at/index.php?bereich=filme_anzeigen_2005.php&lang=de&filmid=11 Crossing Europe Festival website
- http://www.film.at/demi_tarif/ Demi-tarif
American websites
- http://www.consulfrance-chicago.org/filmfest2.htm website of French Consulate in Chicago (dead link)
Belgian websites
- http://www.kutsite.com/festival/gent2004/demitarif.html Ghent festival website
- http://www.cuttingedge.be/movies/isildlebesco/demitarif Demi-tarif on website in Dutch
Japanese website
- http://japan.unifrance.org/perso/perso.asp?CommonUser=&langue=21010&perso=327117 Unifrance website in Japan