Cavalier, who in recent years has focused his essay documentaries on capturing ‘the moments when life becomes cinema,’ has called his new film his ’swan song.’ He has paid tribute to Michel Seydoux as the man who urged him on so that he could fulfill his ‘final wishes of what he wanted to film.’ Seydoux’s is the first name to appear in the credits of Cavalier’s films - a man who has stood by his side for 40 years. A kind of video diary, Thanks for Coming begins with behind-the-scenes footage from Pater (2011) before unfolding into a personal record, captured on Cavalier’s own camera, of encounters, observations, and moments shared with others. The film follows in the footsteps of his 2005 work Le Filmeur (The Filmmaker), though advances in digital technology have lent its images a new clarity, one that seems reflected in the old man’s delighted smile. His voice may have changed slightly over the years, but the quiet simplicity that inhabits even the most incidental of shots remains untouched. A song composed on Earth yet reaching all the way to paradise - this is a film of effortless, seamless grace.
Alain Cavalier was born in Vendôme, France in 1931. After decades of making films with actors and large-scale production crews, he broke entirely from the industry′s conventional filmmaking methods following the success of Thérèse (1986), which won the César Award for Best Film and Best Director. Since then, working with a single digital camera, he has continued as a self-styled "filmer," recording his own life and everyday encounters without concealment, directing Encounters (1996), Life (2000), Le Filmeur (2005), and Friendship (2022), building a singular body of work that dissolves the boundary between documentary and fiction. Still active at 94, he is regarded as a living legend of French cinema. His latest film, Thanks for Coming, positioned as the final chapter of his video diary series, had its world premiere as a special screening at the 2026 Cannes Directors′ Fortnight.
From Busan International Film Festival 2026, No. 31
