As part of the upcoming French Film Festival (opening Nov. 23), the French Institute is sponsoring an exhibition showcasing the work of French photographers Carole Bellaďche and Frederic Poletti. The pair's portraits of contemporary film greats grace the pages of the most prestigious film magazine in the world, Les Cahiers du cinéma. The Prague Post conducted a three-way e-mail exchange with Mme. Bellaďche and M. Poletti before they arrived in Prague for the show's opening.

The Prague Post: How closely do you work with the subjects before your shoot? Do you go onto sets?

Carole Bellaďche: Sometimes. I also have learned that portraits don't need any real prior preparation. On the other hand, a longtime relationship, the kind I have with some actresses, needs to be kept alive through lots of different work.

Frederic Poletti: I dream of going on the sets and meeting the subjects before my shoots! I do try to see their films beforehand. It's important for me to know the universe of the subject.

TPP: Actors can be rather vain when it comes to their public image. Do you ever allow stars to look at your photos of them before publication?

CB: I work with a lot of movie stars, and I have a relationship based on a deep trust with them. Actors see their own image and even learn how to look at themselves.

TPP: Who has been the easiest star or director to work with?

CB: There's no star that is easy to take photos of. But Isabelle Huppert, who I met thanks to Les Cahiers, is still the actress I photograph the most.

FP: When I shot Jean-Luc Godard in his flat in Paris I was very impressed by him. When I looked through my Hasselblad, I was surprised by his accessibility and lack of distancing. I shot what I wanted, and suddenly he said, "You have what you want now." It was true, simply true!

TPP: Who are your idols and mentors among past photographers?

CB: My idols: Kertesz, Sudek, Avedon, Koudelka ...

FP: I have a lot, but my favorite is Philippe Halsman, the photographer who made Jump! I met his wife at the Magnum agency in Paris, and she explained his "Dali Atomicus," how they organized the shooting like a sequence of a movie. There were assistants who threw the cats into the air, while others threw the water in front of the cats, and then Dali, who jumped with theatricality at the back of the stage.

TPP: Are there film personalities you haven't photographed that you would like to?

CB: I dreamed of taking pictures of Michel Piccoli, and now I've done it. I regret [missing] Mastroianni.