Scorsese and EXPRMNTL

The renowned American filmmaker Martin Scorsese, who directed hugely successful classics such as Taxi Driver (1976), The Goodfellas (1990) and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), was one of the young talents who left their mark on the history of EXPRMNTL. Shortly after finishing university, the ever-enthusiastic Martin found himself in a scenario that was not particularly favourable for beginning directors, especially those who wished to break with established industry norms and experiment with cinematic language. It was at this time that Jacques Ledoux and the Cinémathèque royale de Belgique announced EXPRMNTL 4, which was to take place in 1967 in Knokke, Belgium. The festival had also established a partnership with the Belgian company Gevaert, which would provide 16 mm film to selected filmmakers and cover all development and processing costs. For Martin and other young directors, this was a unique opportunity, as film stock was expensive and few festivals showed any interest in the work of newcomers. It was thus that the American had his short film The Big Shave (1967) selected and screened at the fourth edition of EXPRMNTL. Although, for financial reasons, he was unable to attend the event in person, this marked the beginning of a long-standing relationship with Jacques Ledoux, with whom Martin would discuss American underground cinema and rare film prints. The director admits that his friendship with Ledoux had a major impact on his perception of cinema, particularly with regard to film preservation. After all, with EXPRMNTL, Ledoux’s aim was not merely to screen, but to collect and preserve avant-garde films that would receive little attention in other contexts. Today, Scorsese is one of the leading figures in the film preservation movement. This is yet another outcome of the atmosphere of artistic and intellectual collaboration fostered by EXPRMNTL. In this story's resources, you can listen to an interview that Martin Scorsese gave to writer Anne Head, in which they discuss the full story in detail.