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Just found this interview from November, it's already translated in English.

He discusses his possible working methods for his next film:

Godard: It's not as easy as it used to be to use a camera to see something you otherwise wouldn't see. Directors are either confirming what they already know - or they're confirming themselves with the camera. Like a knight would confirm himself with a lance. I'm going to shoot my next film alone - but really alone. I'll adapt. I won't film the actors together, but instead, one after another. I'll make reservations in the hotel, too, if they come here to Switzerland. These are different films, but they're possible. Fortunately, I wasn't able to make all the films I wanted to.

It seems to be implying that he's making more than one film?

I followed the discussion in the Announcements and Feedback thread quite carefully and with interest i.g. about the confusing amount of new threads especially in the NEW FILMS section. I think colinr0380 pointed out the problem with films that are merely in pre-production and that a serious discussion or review is of course not possible if nobody has seen the film yet. And i agree with this! On the other hand i am with Kinsayder when he has problems finding the films he is interested in - this is a matter of taste, i know, but must admit that i came to this form because i found similarities that i nowhere else found...so to get back on topic i will post a new link i just found concerning Socialismehttp://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2008/08 ... ecart.html

Et la rencontre avec Godard ?

C'est un fan de tennis, il avait aimé « Déclassée » et voulait me rencontrer. Il m'a proposé de jouer dans son film, « Les Socialistes », dont la première partie doit sortir en 2010. Dans le film, je suis la mère de deux enfants qui prennent le pouvoir. Je n'ai pas grand-chose à dire mais c'est très percutant. Jean-Luc Godard laisse beaucoup de liberté du moment que l'on est dans la justesse. Il est très rassurant. Je ne suis pas actrice, Jean-Luc m'a juste demandé d'être moi-même. Il y a d'ailleurs dans le film une phrase sur la mère qui dit : « Elle ne sait pas qu'elle a un rôle ».

Vous avez joué au tennis avec lui ?

Oui, trois fois déjà. Il a la technique pour renvoyer la balle, il joue pas mal. Il ne veut pas que je lui fasse de cadeaux. Alors, je frappe fort.

And yes - i personally do think that whatever news on the latest Godard film is of more importance than e.g. the new film of KEvin Smith (who is he?)

edit: Tanvier is talking about Les Socialistes - which makes this post even more dubious...

A quick translation on Yahoo!:

And meets it with Godard? C' is a fan of tennis, he had liked “Downgraded” and wanted to meet me. It m' proposed to play in its film, “the Socialists”, of which the first part must leave in 2010. In film, I am the mother of two children who seize the power. I n' do not have large-thing to say but c' is very percussion. Jean-Luc Godard leaves much freedom since l' one is in the accuracy. He is very reassuring. I am not actress, Jean-Luc m' just asked d' to be myself. There is d' elsewhere in film a sentence on the mother who says: “It does not know qu' she has a role”. You played tennis with him? Yes, three times already. He with the technique to return the ball, he does not play badly. He does not want that I make him gifts. Then, I strike extremely.

According to this translation, which is not the best, the story seems to concentrate on two brothers who seize some sort of power. It also seems like there is more than one part.

"And the meeting with Godard?

He's a fan of tennis. He had liked "Déclassée" and wanted to meet me. He proposed I act in "Les Socialistes", whose first part is to be released in 2010. In the film, I am the mother of two children who seize power. I don't have much to say, but it is very hard-hitting. Jean-Luc Godard leaves a lot of freedom of the moment for one to be right (? "que l'on est dans la justesse" confuses me). He is very reassuring. I'm not an actress, Jean-Luc only asks me to be myself. He has elsewhere in the film a line about the mother which says: "She doesn't know she has a role."

Did you play tennis with him?

Yes, three times already. He has the technique for returning the ball, he's not bad. He didn't want me to go easy/let him win (?). So, I hit hard."

So it appears to be at least a two-part film.

Cold Bishop wrote:(? "que l'on est dans la justesse" confuses me)

Not that it matters but I cannot resist clearing up any French misunderstanding... "Godard leaves a lot of freedom (to the actor), as long as we stay true to character/ as long as it sounds accurate"

2010 is too far away

At least we now know when his next film is coming: The trailer for this year's Viennale Film Festival is called "Une catastrophe" and will be premiered in Austria on September 19th

Jean-Luc Godard fait la publicité du Festival de cinéma Viennale

D'une durée de seulement 63 secondes et intitulé «Une catastrophe», le clip réalisé par Jean-Luc Godard relève du style de son «Histoire(s) du cinéma»: il intègre une séquence du film du metteur en scène russe Serguei Eisentein «Cuirassé Potemkine» (1925), une vieille chanson d'amour allemande et une composition pour piano du compositeur allemand Robert Schumann. En «musique» de fond, on entend les cris poussés par des joueuses de tennis lors de la frappe de leur première balle de service.

Here are six images from the Vega Film website. The synopsis and cast are not available as of yet.

Looks to be shot on video and - more of a surprise - the grabs are 16x9. Very interested to find out if Godard plans to keep them at 1.78:1, crop slightly for 1.85:1, or radically crop/re-frame for 1.37:1. As was discussed in another thread, it's just about impossible to buy a video camera that shoots native 1.37:1 these days, so the fact that these shots are 16x9 isn't terribly surprising.

For the French-impaired, Craig Keller has translations for the captions up on his blog.

Ovader wrote:Here are six images from the Vega Film website. The synopsis and cast are not available as of yet.

How is it that Godard is able to make even the most seemingly pedestrian compositions look amazing? I agree with Dave Kehr, JLG's is the greatest eye in cinema along with Ford.

Did you notice that the woman in the first image is seen in the car's side mirror of the last image?

Oedipax wrote:Looks to be shot on video and - more of a surprise - the grabs are 16x9. Very interested to find out if Godard plans to keep them at 1.78:1, crop slightly for 1.85:1, or radically crop/re-frame for 1.37:1. As was discussed in another thread, it's just about impossible to buy a video camera that shoots native 1.37:1 these days, so the fact that these shots are 16x9 isn't terribly surprising.

For the French-impaired, Craig Keller has translations for the captions up on his blog.

I wouldn't be surprised if a stipulation of getting production money was to make it widescreen

Vega Film says that JLG is shooting around(?) the Mediterranean Sea - not that i personally need "on location cinema" nor do i miss Pierrot et Marianne on the beach, but seeing him "on the road" as in Notre Musique makes me however quite happy . . .

Avec Alain Badiou en Grèce. hahaha…

There is some strange twist in the above link that i can not fix... here is another one

Breathtaking.

It's hard to say much from that trailer, but it's definitely a latter period Godard.
For me, that's a good thing.

HD Version is here.

It will be interesting to see if this is really his last.

Did I actually just watch a Godardian homage to the YouTube Star Wars kid in that trailer?

This one looks like it will re-establish JLG as the greatest living filmmaker, a title he temporarily ceded to Kiarostami, and cement his place as the most important since Griffith.

Incredible. I didn't expect Godard to pull yet another revolutionary aesthetic shift out of his hat, but with the seamless integration of his video essay/poems into his narrative films in evidence here, he may have done just that. I feel ashamed for ever having doubted the possibility.
At the same time, I would have been happy with just three hours of the liner deck shots. Too much beauty for this poor soul.

Heaven!

Wow, JLG - or rather, JL Godard - in HD, showing a mastery of the format already (and a certain disregard for windscreens on the microphones - why should the windy deck of a ship sound like a calm interior?).

One question that immediately presents itself is that of editing; I have to assume this was cut on a computer, right? It would be interesting to hear how that was handled, since Godard has always insisted on physically handling the film as he edits, giving him time to think, not just this 'instant access' which can really become a kind of absence of contemplation.

That dutch angle shot from underneath a restaurant table does have a certain YouTube/"vlog" quality to it, doesn't it?

One other thing that's been bugging me for a while: can anyone identify the classical organ piece that's playing throughout? I remember it from some other Godard works as well (Les enfants jouent à la russie, perhaps others), never could figure it out.

In the 2000 interview published in the Cahiers he said that he (probably) could not handle computer editing - pointing out at the same time that you do not necessairly have to see that the film was edited on a computer with Guiguets Les Passagers as a positive example... And yes, some shots do have a certain amateur/youtube look - however, in my opinion, if you allready made some of the beautifullest shots in cinema - why not try out something new? I see no backslide in this!

accatone wrote:And yes, some shots do have a certain amateur/youtube look - however, in my opinion, if you allready made some of the beautifullest shots in cinema - why not try out something new? I see no backslide in this!

Oh, I don't disagree. Shots like that have a very different feel and meaning when Godard, capable of creating utterly impeccable images seemingly at will (and often by filming nothing in particular) chooses to do so.

I wonder what camera Godard used to shoot this. The girl's likely holding a Sony PD170, so maybe Godard was also using Sony... or the HVX200A...