Todd Haynes on Pedro Pascal-Led ‘De Noche,’ What You Can’t See on Screen and the Radical Power of Love
Todd Haynes discussed his filmmaking methods and the future of independent cinema at the Lumière Film Festival in Lyon, alongside longtime producer Christine Vachon. He described how music, sound and sensory details shape his films, and said love can have a radical, disruptive quality.
Haynes’s upcoming film “De Noche”, starring Pedro Pascal and Danny Ramirez, follows a detective and a schoolteacher fleeing corrupt 1930s Los Angeles for Mexico. For “May December”, Michel Legrand’s score for “The Go-Between” influenced camera work and the film’s structure; Haynes also praised the unsettling sound design in “Safe” and recalled developing “Carol” with Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara. Vachon spoke about helping secure “Safe”’s $1 million budget and raised concerns about what independent cinema offers younger audiences.
- Haynes says sound and music help shape a film’s structure and mood.
- “De Noche” stars Pedro Pascal and Danny Ramirez in a 1930s romantic noir.
- Producer Christine Vachon voiced concerns about independent cinema’s future.
New here? Start with this
Todd Haynes is an American film director whose work often centres on relationships and the pressures people face from society. Christine Vachon, a longtime producer, has worked with him on several films, including Safe, an independent film made on a modest budget.
Independent films are made outside the largest studio systems and often rely on smaller budgets. Haynes and Vachon have collaborated on films such as Carol and May December, which feature actors including Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara. Their work shows how music, sound and visual choices can shape a film’s story and atmosphere.
De Noche is a forthcoming film set in 1930s Los Angeles, starring Pedro Pascal and Danny Ramirez. It follows a detective and a schoolteacher who flee corruption and head for Mexico. The film’s setting and story draw on a period when social power and personal relationships could shape people’s choices.