William Brisson in “The Theatre of Immortals” (2019) by Jonathan Boissinot

Entering the world of auteur cinema “in silence” through several lead roles in silent films, a violinist on screen, and chosen for a supporting role as a superhero in virtual reality showcased at the 70th Cannes Festival, William Brisson is in a constant quest for new ways to express his craft.

A violinist for about fifteen years and trained in theatre at the Conservatory of Dramatic Arts in Toulouse, William met the director of his very first silent role by chance, thanks to Marie-Hélène Marty, a musician friend and the film’s composer. Officially selected at the “Sacramento French Film Festival” in California and awarded twice in France, “La Voix des Chimères,” Jonathan Boissinot’s first short film made in 2015, marked the promising start of a collaboration between two self-taught talents in cinema.

William Brisson
“A Violinist Turned Actor”
William: “Playing a lead role without dialogues is a solid foundation in the search for true emotions because body language is the primary vector of our emotions. It was through this experience that I realized the text is just a pretext in acting. The organic brings the will to express oneself.”
William Brisson in “The Theatre of Immortals” (2019) by Jonathan Boissinot
William Brisson in “La Voix des Chimères” by Jonathan Boissinot
Following this, he worked with the same director on two other films, receiving multiple official selections, where William also played lead roles: “La Blessure des Anges,” a family drama in speaking roles as twin brothers in 2017, and the wordless dreamlike drama “The Theatre of Immortals” in 2019.
“The Theatre of Immortals” (left) and “La Blessure des Anges” (right) by Jonathan Boissinot
William: “The challenge in ‘La Blessure des Anges’ was to portray two brothers who had to listen to and respond to each other while being in very different emotional states. Infusing a rather open physical energy for one and conversely restrained for the other helped me a lot to maintain a certain coherence between these two characters.” (Article from “Midi Libre” about the screening of these films can be found here)
An Actor of the New Wave in Virtual Reality
Meanwhile, in 2016, he was chosen for the supporting role of Robin in the virtual reality parody “The Last Hero.”
William: “Paradoxically, VR is a return to theatre because it requires playing without interruption in a single eight-minute shot. One mistake and everything has to be redone.” (Article from VR room on the film can be found here)
This comedy, produced by Clap & Zap Production, Maud Clavier, and Clé, won awards:
“Best Virtual Reality Script” at the Paris Courts Devant Festival 2016.
“Best Virtual Reality Production Studio” at the Laval Virtual Festival 2017.
The film was shown at the Cannes Festival 2017 in the NEXT section of the film market.
Independent Cinema
William was also chosen for lead or supporting roles and as a solo violinist for soundtracks by directors:
Michaël Moscatelli for the feature film “Anna Rosenberg” produced by NYMPHEA PRODUCTIONS
As a solo violinist for the film’s main theme composed by Fabien Garosi (IMDB).
Robin Plessy (director of the clip “Les Enfoirés; Attention au départ”) and Violaine Khal for the clip “FOR LIFE” by singer Néa Kirsten in the lead male role. (75,000 views on YouTube)
(Article from “La Parisienne Life” on the clip and new album can be found here)
Gianmaria Fiorillo for “Domicile Conjugal,” a short film about domestic violence, in the lead role.
Cyril Nehmé (Selected at Berlinale Talents 2016 in the editing category) for “J’ai rêvé Carthage,” produced by Les Films du périscope, as the first violinist of the orchestra.
This film, through the experience of an opera singer, explores a moment of rupture on stage as a moment of profound lucidity.
François Szabowski (Screenwriter and author of “L’amour est une maladie ordinaire”) for “Nevers,” a satirical comedy about homophobia, in the lead role.
William Brisson in “J’ai rêvé Carthage” by Cyril Nehmé
William Brisson in “FOR LIFE” by Robin Plessy & Violaine Khal
William Brisson in “Nevers” by François Szabowski
Andrea Bossoni (also Screenwriter & Producer) for “Deuxième Chance” and
Michele Moscatelli (also Director of Photography & Executive Producer)
In “Deuxième Chance,” William played the role of a young violinist in a scene set in Paris while performing the violin part of the original score. This film won numerous awards, including:
Nsaen International Film Festival (Chicago, USA)
European Film Festival Mainstream & Underground (Moscow, Russia)
Am Egypt Film Festival (Cairo, Egypt)
A Committed Artist
Beyond independent committed cinema, William’s involvement in defending social and ethical values goes further.
Indeed, William was invited by Ysé Brisson to inaugurate the closing ceremony of the “Women’s Rights and Cinema Festival” as a violinist at the Embassy of Azerbaijan.
“The purpose of the Women’s Rights & Cinema Festival is to bring together talented artists around cinema who defend the cause of women worldwide. However, the goal is not to create a festival by women for women but rather to rally men and women towards the same cause: gender equality where respect for differences would allow the flourishing of genders.
As Marilyn Monroe said: ‘A woman who seeks to be equal with men lacks ambition.'”
(Source: www.festivaldroitsdesfemmesetcinema.com)
festivaldroitsdesfemmesetcinema.com
And What’s Next?
See him soon on stage in:
Sylvia Lulin: author published several times, notably by “Gallimard jeunesse” and “Points De Suspension.”
Jean-Pierre Stora: composer of “Boulevard Voltaire” by Alexandre Vallès, “Victoria” by Anna Karina, “Le Bled” by Jean Renoir (silent film remastered in 2012), and many films by Guy Gill, as well as for Charlotte Rampling, Catherine Sauvage, Dalida, Philippe Katerine, and directors like Roger Hanin, Jacques Ardouin, Michel Fau… Jean-Pierre Stora asked William to play both the character of the “Wandering Violinist” and perform the music live on stage with violin and vocals.