Interview: Filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius Talks ‘Final Cut’ and the Fun That’s Defined His Career

It’s kind of a shock that Hollywood wasn’t able to scoop up Michel Hazanavicius after The Artist won him the Best Director Oscar. Considering that the film also took the Academy Award for Best Picture, he should have been a bonafide sensation. In talking to the filmmaker, he definitely got offers, but kudos to him for resisting those overtures and staying true to his own self. The work he’s interested in veers more towards wacky comedies than prestige fare, with the latest example of that being Final Cut, a remake of the horror comedy One Cut of the Dead. With the movie out now in theaters, I’m thrilled to present a recent conversation that the writer/director and I had over Zoom.

Below, you can see my chat with Hazanavicius. We talk about what drew him to the project, how he shot the actual moviemaking, and finding the right tone for this. He’s an easygoing guy, quick to make a joke, and even a bit self-deprecating, so we clearly got along. Final Cut is out now and is certainly his love-letter to cinema, making it easy to recommend.

In my review of Final Cut, I had this here to say about Hazanavicius’ work:

Filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius definitely is having fun with the whole hook of the movie. If his writing and direction hew close to One Cut of the Dead, there’s enough here to make it a remake still of interest to those who have seen the original. The script more or less is the same, while the direction almost leans more into the cheesiness and comedy of it all. Hazanavicius may have had a one off Oscar hit with The Artist, but this might be the project he’s enjoyed making the most. At the same time, he leans a bit too far into how poorly executed the production is in act one, so if you’re at all confused about what’s going on, it may seem like you’re just watching Z grade horror. The middle section is fine, but it’s getting to the back end where you finally see why this appealed to him.

Here is my interview with Final Cut filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius. Enjoy:

Final Cut is in theaters now!