Biography

Alain Escalle works as Filmmaker since 1990 as much in France as abroad (Belgium, Germany, United State, United Kingdom, Japan, etc…) traveling from is personal works to collaborative works on several medias (Commercials, Museum installations, Live concerts, Music videos). He studied in Graphic Art & Design and then embarked on a degree in Cinema studies and Cinematic techniques. He was graduated in 1989. In 1991, he had the opportunity to disco-ver the world of video creation as a Visual Effects Assistant for the Peter Greenaway’ s video dance M FOR MAN, MUSIC & MOZART.

1992 was a turning point for Escalle who started his first piece, UNLIMITED MIRAGE (co-directed with Maurice Benayoun – 1st Prize Imagina in 92 Open credits design category). Then, he direct his very first short-film in 1994, titled FROM THE SHIPWRECK inspired by the tragedy of the raft of the Méduse French Galeon (1st Prize SCAM 94 for the best digital work, 3rd Prize Imagina 94 in Art catecory).

After many visits to Japan for commercials works (between 1993 and 2006), Escalle decided to dwell on Japanese culture with the creation of THE TALE OF THE FLOATING WORLD. This short film, which was made of the stuff of dreams, won a raft of awards in some major world-class festivals (“GRAND PRIX” Imagina 2002, preselection round at the 2003 CÉSARS (the French Academy awards). This film and his following video installation DRIPPING, GROUND ZERO approach Japanese history from a multiple viewpoint perspective to render the chaos of the Hiroshima bombing.

After making images video design for the show “Rock De Chambre” de JEAN-PHILIPPE GOUDE in 2004, Alain Escalle carried out the first part of the french singer MYLENE FARMER‘s live shows in bercy in 2006. He directed the whole of the screened images for the TOUR 2006 & the TOUR 2009. Beside, Alain Escalle directed two of her Music videos.

From 2006 onward, he began a long creative and research work that culminated in 2013 with the release of the film THE BOOK OF THE DEAD, a new dreamlike journey on the ghosts of Human history. A dark and poetic short film … An imaginary journey on the theme of extermination camps in Poland (Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival 2013, GRAND PRIX ATHENA Athens Animfest 2014, Best Experimental Film “Grand Prix” FLICKERS Rhodes Island 2014, ect…).

Since its inception, he performs visual search through the history of the world and the Arts. As demonstrated by the Japanese NTT DATA advertising around the world of painter Salvador Dali and more recently in 2014 with the film DA VINCI PROJECT around the work of Leonardo da Vinci and Renaissance painters.

Ever since… Escalle has carried researches, into Visual Arts from different countries, atmospheres and periods. This technological and aesthetics researches, between traditional form of cinema, animation and Art history, leads Alain Escalle to collaborate with others directors, for more than twelve years to several projects such as feature films, music videos, or commercials as the series NTT GROUP for Japanese Télécoms. He also collaborated as an artistic director and visual effects artist to a string of short films including CITIES OF THE PAST: BRUGES (1st price Imagina 95 in Art category) and A VIAGEM made for the Portuguese pavilion exhibited at the 1998 World Exhibition in Lisbon (3rd prize Imagina 99 in Art category).