Encyclopedia of French Film Directors

48 • BAL, WALTER
1994 Exposition du Mouvement ouvrier (video documentary;
medium-length)
1995 Gens de Métier (video documentary; short)
1996 Marinière, la Vie d’à Bord (video documentary;
medium-length)
1997 Harley, mon Amour (video documentary;
medium-length)
1999 Ecoutez Serge Utgé-Royo (video documentary;
medium-length)
2000 Mireille Jospin-Dandieu (video documentary)
2001 Robert Bothereau (video documentary; short)
2003 Companero Jorge Mac-Ginty (video documentary)
2005 Jean-Baptiste André Godin (video documentary;
medium-length)
2006 La Grande Tournée Outremer du Général de
Gaulle (2 52' video documentary)
BAL, WALTER (1939, Djakarta, Indonesia–)
He started out as assistant cameraman (1973 Etat de
Siège / L’Amerikano / Der unsichtbare Aufstand / UK and
USA: State of Siege, Costa-Gavras, France / Italy / West
Germany; 1974 L’Horloger de Saint-Paul / UK: The Watchmaker
of St. Paul / USA: The Clockmaker of St. Paul, Bertrand
Tavernier; Et Demain?, documentary, short, Pierre
Carpentier; 1975 L’Important c’est d’aimer / L’importante
è amare / Nachtblende / UK: The Main Thing Is to Love /
USA: The Most Important Thing: Love, Andrzej Zulawski,
France / Italy / West Germany) and cameraman (1972
Une Belle Fille comme moi / UK: A Gorgeous Bird Like Me
/ USA: Such a Gorgeous Kid Like Me, François Truffaut;
1973 La Nuit américaine / Effetto notte / USA: Day for
Night, also actor, François Truffaut, France / Italy; 1974
La Course en Tête / Steeds op kop, documentary, Joël
Santoni, France / Belgium) and remained known mostly
as cinematographer for fi lms (1976 Les Conquistadores,
Marco Pauly, Les Œufs brouillés, Joël Santoni; 1977
Juliette et l’Air du Temps, René Gilson; Bloedverwanten /
Mort au Sang d’Honneur, Wim Lindner, Netherlands /
France; 1979 Ils sont grands ces Petits, Joël Santoni; Les
Egoûts du Paradis, José Giovanni; 1994 Art Deco Detective,
Philippe Mora, USA; Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly
Hills, Philippe Mora, USA; 1996 Precious Find, Philippe
Mora, USA; Night of the Demons III / Demon House, Jim
Kaufman, USA / Canada; 1997 Back in Business / Heart
of Stone, Philippe Mora, USA; 1998 Nico the Unicorn,
Graeme Campbell, Canada / USA; Out of Control, Richard
Trevor, USA; 1999 Cinq Minutes de Détente, Tomas
Roméro, France / Canada; 2001 Wrong Number, Richard
Middleton, Canada / USA; Say Nothing, Allan Moyle,
Canada / USA; 2004 Brilliant, Roger Cardinal, Canada)
and TV (1973 The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau,
episode “The Singing Whale,” Jacques-Yves Cousteau;
1977 Der Alte / UK: The Old Fox, episode “Der Alte
schlägt zweimal zu,” José Giovanni, West Germany).
Filmography
1979 Bobo Jacco
BALASKO, JOSIANE (Josiane Balskovich / April
15, 1950, Paris, France–)
The daughter of Parisian innkeepers, she intended to
dedicate herself to painting before switching to acting
and attending Tania Balachova’s drama courses. She
made her stage debut performing sketches she wrote
in café theaters. In 1975, she joined the Splendid
group and played in successful shows (1976 Le Pot de
Terre contre le Pot de Vin; 1977 Coquillages et Crustacés
. . .). From 1973 (L’An 01, Jacques Doillon, Alain Resnais,
Jean Rouch) to 2008 (Musée haut, Musée bas, Jean-
Michel Ribes), she played supporting and leading roles
in more than sixty fi lms, including those she directed.
She also worked as costume designer (1976 L’Affi che
rouge, Frank Cassenti); dialogist (1978 Pauline et
l’Ordinateur, also actor, Francis Fehr); co-adapter and
dialogist (1980 Retour en Force, also actor, Jean-Marie
Poiré); co-screenwriter, co-adapter, and co-dialogist
(1978 Les Bronzés / USA: French Fried Vacation, also actor,
Patrice Leconte; 1979 Les Bronzés font du Ski, also
actor, Patrice Leconte; 1981 Les Hommes préfèrent
les Grosses, also original idea, actor, Jean-Marie Poiré;
1982 Le Père Noël est une Ordure, also actor, Jean-Marie
Poiré; 2006 Les Bronzés 3: Amis pour la Vie / US festival:
Friends Forever, also actor, Patrice Leconte); co-adapter
(1981 L’Année prochaine . . . si tout va bien / UK and
USA: Next Year If All Goes Well, Jean-Loup Hubert); coscreenwriter,
co-adapatator, and dialogist (1986 Nuit
d’Ivresse, also author of original play, actor, Bernard
Nauer); and uncredited co-dialogist (1994 Grosse Fatigue,
also actor, Michel Blanc).
Filmography
1985 Sac de Noeuds / UK and USA: All Mixed Up
(also co-screenwriter, dialogist, actor)
1987 Les Keufs (also adapter, dialogist, actor)
1991 Ma Vie est un Enfer (also original idea, coscreenwriter,
dialogist, actor)
1995 Gazon maudit / UK: Bushwacked / USA: French
Twist (also screenwriter, co-adapter, dialogist,
actor)