Lives of YSL and Pierre Bergé to hit big screen

Paris-based Wy Productions has announced it is developing an authorized biopic capturing the relationship of late fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and his long-time partner Pierre Bergé.

 

“The film will benefit from the precious support of Pierre Bergé, who will work in close collaboration with the director Jalil Lespert,” Wy Productions said in a statement.

 

The feature is being developed in association with Universal Pictures International France, which distributed Lespert’s last film Headwinds (Les vents contraires) starring Benoit Magimel as a man with two young children coming to terms with the disappearance of his wife.

 

Wy co-head Wassim Béji told ScreenDaily the production was in the early stages of development.

 

Saint Laurent and Bergé’s tempestuous relationship spanned five decades.

 

The pair met in 1958, just as 21-year-old Saint Laurent was catapulted into the position of head designer at the House of Dior.  They founded the Yves Saint Laurent couture house together in 1960. 

 

“I’ve received a number of proposals to make a film about Yves and me but I’ve never been convinced by the different projects,” Bergé said in the statement.

 

“Jalil Lespert came to see me with his sensitivity, enthusiasm and creative vision. I quickly understood that I had before me the director capable of telling this story and I said ‘yes’ to him,” he continued.

 

During Saint Laurent’s lifetime, Bergé was notoriously protective of the designer’s private life. Since his death, he has been more candid, talking openly about the design genius’ depression, alcoholism and drug abuse.

 

In 2009, Bergé participated in Paul Thoretton’s documentary Crazy Love (L’amour fou) capturing his relationship with Saint Laurent through the sale of their joint 700-piece art collection.

 

Wy Productions was co-founded in 2002 by Béji and Yannick Bolloré, who also heads up the media activities of his family’s Bolloré business empire.

 

The biopic is Lespert’s third picture after Headwinds and his first feature 24 Measures (24 Mesures) - both of which were produced by Wy.

 

Other Wy productions include Alexandre Courtès’ debut picture The Incident, which premiered at Toronto last year. Courtès has since directed one of the sketches in Jean Dujardin’s The Players.

 

Originally breaking into cinema as an actor, Lespert shot to prominence for his lead performance in Laurent Cantet’s Human Resources, for which he won a best newcomer César in 2000. He has recently played supporting roles in Love and Bruises and A Butterfly Kiss (Un baiser papillon).