Guest of Honour: Gérard Jugnot
Une époque formidable… (Wonderful Times)
Gérard Jugnot
1991 / FRA / 1h36 / Age: 14 (14)
In the presence of Gérard Jugnot
A social fable under the stars
Michel, a manager made redundant from a bedding company, loses his job, his wife and his home in the space of a single evening. Out on the streets, he meets Crayon, Mimosa and Toubib, a colourful trio of homeless people who teach him the meaning of solidarity all over again. Gérard Jugnot directs a social comedy that is as tender as it is biting, carried by an unforgettable quartet of actors. A fall from grace as a lesson in dignity.
Language: French
Subtitles: English
Starring: Gérard Jugnot, Richard Bohringer & Victoria Abril
Guest of Honour: Gérard Jugnot
Actor, director and screenwriter, Gérard Jugnot made his name with the Splendid theatre troupe. There, he created a gallery of characters who are grumpy, clumsy, cowardly or overwhelmed by events, often embodying the “average Frenchman”. His appearance, voice and acting style have helped make him an instantly recognisable face of French comedy. Over the years, his comic style has also enabled him to develop roles in which the burlesque blends with a great sensitivity.
One of the defining features of his cinema lies in this expression, which he himself uses: “ordinary characters confronted with extraordinary events”. He describes this way of observing the world and its absurdities, somewhere between laughter, drama and melancholy, as “sneering sociology”. This vision is evident in his own films, from Une époque formidable (1991), Monsieur Batignole (2002), or even his latest film, Mauvaise pioche (2026), where Jugnot returns to this theme: a man caught up in a situation that is beyond his control.
Gérard Jugnot has been entertaining generations of filmgoers for over fifty years. The VIFFF is delighted to be able to honour this genius of comedy.