Interview : Wes Anderson exhibition at Cinema & Miniature Museum with Julien Dumont

What will we find in your new permanent exhibition space?

The museum’s aim is to have an iconic object from each film department, including costumes, accessories, sets, preparatory design, filming... Through descriptions on the touchscreens, the idea is also to introduce visitors to the various trades involved in film-making. There’s nothing more emotional than seeing the actual objects that appeared in the movies. It’s pretty cool to have the set for Scarlett Johansson’s train in a museum, the very one that was used in the film!

"There’s no elitism at the museum; everybody is free to like or dislike a film."

There are other exhibitions dedicated to Wes Anderson in places like Los Angeles and Milan right now. How did you manage to bring the director’s personal puppets here, to Lyon ?

We’re lucky to have a museum that’s been around for twenty years. Dan Ohlmann built the museum’s reputation and made sure the entire industry is aware of just how serious we are about looking after our exhibits. This permanent exhibition space was created thanks to the relationship that has been built with Wes Anderson and his team over time. It’s fantastic to think that his latest film is arriving and that we’ll be able to talk directly to him about new additions to the museum.

If you could only choose one of his films ?

I loved Asteroid City. Lots of people didn’t like it, but I really got into it. There’s no elitism at the museum; everybody is free to like or dislike a film. Cinema is popular by definition; it only exists because people come to movie theatres. France is a bit different, but you have to remember that if nobody came to see American films, there would be no money from the CNC (the French National Centre for Cinema and the Moving Image) to fund art films. We’re going to receive an original Darth Vader helmet, and I’m just as happy to have this object as a script by Godard.

© Susie Waroude