MAURICE PIALAT AND THE NEW FRENCH REALISM

Maurice Pialat's stark, unsentimental films left a mark on French cinema that arguably outweighs even that of the nouvelle vague. A director who thrived on conflict, he captured moments of searing emotional power on screen, inspiring a generation of French directors and actors. As Sight & Sound brings the first complete Pialat retrospective in the UK to BFI Southbank, alongside a programme of films by the Pialat-influenced young French filmmakers of the 1990s, David Thompson explores the pugnacious realist's career, Ginette Vincendeau assesses his impact on 90s new realism, and James Bell talks to Olivier Assayas about a master who only received his full due late in life.