Lumière Award Winners Joel and Ethan Coen Praise Cinema-Going : ‘The Joy of Sitting in a Movie Theater with a Crowd of People, There’s No Substitute for That’

Joel and Ethan Coen used a Lumière Film Festival masterclass to reflect on their long filmmaking partnership, collaborators and career, ahead of receiving the festival’s lifetime achievement award. Joel also defended cinema-going, saying the shared experience of watching a film with a crowd has no substitute.

The brothers described a simple writing process built around exchanging ideas, and credited collaborators such as cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel for shaping their films. Producer Eric Fellner said they were among the most joyful filmmakers to work with; Joel recalled meeting Frances McDormand during casting for their 1984 debut, “Blood Simple”. He said home video helped independent films find audiences, but expressed concern about movies being watched on ever smaller screens.