Interview: Isabelle Huppert Talks Her Favorite Films Of 2014, The State Of Cinema, Michael Haneke & More

“A film is the reflection of the soul of its creator,” said jury President and actress Isabelle Huppert at the opening press conference for the Marrakech International Film Festival, setting an insightful, philosophical tone for the proceedings. That’s just the style of the legendary Huppert, deeply knowledgeable and reverent for the craft and spectatorship of cinema, and introspective about her her role in the process. The jury she heads up this week is made up of international cinema luminaries including Alan Rickman, Melanie Laurent, Christian Mungiu, Ritesh Batra, Betrand Bonello, Moumen Smihi, and Mario Martone. We had a chance to sit down with Mme. Huppert at the spectacular La Mamounia hotel in Marrakech to talk about her favorite directors, her approach to characters, and some of her favorite movies of the year.

Huppert has said in the past that the director is the first priority for her in choosing her projects, and she did not diverge from this during the conversation,...