What's In Your Office - Mistral Artist Management

A dual citizen of both the United States and France, Jerome Henry Rudes is the 2014 winner of "La Médaille d'Or du Rayonnement Culturel" for the United States, a prize created by La Renaissance Française" in Paris in 1916 by Raymond Poincaré, then President of France. The medal distinguishes persons who have rendered distinguished service in French language, literature, arts, science and technology. It is awarded under the patronage of the President of the French Republic and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Interior, Defense and National Education.

After teaching during the 1970s in international schools in Europe, Mr. Rudes was appointed Director of English Studies at the Institute of American Universities in Aix-en-Provence in 1980. In 1984, he left that position to create the French-American Centers, not-for-profit cultural exchange and teaching organizations with structures in Aix as well as in Avignon, Marseille, Montpellier and Lyon.

Parallel to his educational ventures, Mr. Rudes launched the “French-American Film Workshop” in 1984 in Avignon, an annual crossroads of transatlantic independent cinema that evolved into the Avignon Film Festival. Mr. Rudes curated and directed the Avignon Film Festival until its closing in 2008, a 25-year labor of love.

In tandem, Mr. Rudes inaugurated the annual Avignon/New York Film Festival in Manhattan in 1994 and directed it for 13 years, based first at Angelika Film Center, then at the French Institute/Alliance Française and finally at Hunter College (CCNY), bringing together in the US, as did the Avignon Film Festival in France, established filmmakers such as Louis Malle, Samuel Fuller, Agnès Varda, Jerry Schatzberg, Claude Lelouche, Roger Corman, David Brown, Curtis Hanson, Mika Kaurismaki, Claude Miller, Paul Schrader, Jean-Charles Tacchella, Bob Rafelson and Paul Mazursky, as well as scores of emerging filmmakers like Cedric Klapisch, Richard Linklater, Arnaud Desplechin, Alexander Rockwell, Christophe Ruggia, Bruno Dumont, Gaspar Noé and Quentin Tarantino.

Mr. Rudes co-authored Samuel Fuller’s “A Third Face: My Tale of Writing, Fighting, and Filmmaking,” published in the US by Alfred Knopf in 2004, and in France in 2010 by Editions Allia. In 2005, Mr. Rudes played the third lead in a Luc Besson-produced comedy, “Au Suivant!” (“Next!”) directed by Jeanne Biras, alongside Alexandra Lamy and Clovis Cornillac.

After a decade with the venerable Fifi Oscard Agency and upon Ms. Oscard’s passing, Jerome Henry Rudes created Mistral Artist Management, LLC. Under the Mistral Artist banner, Mr. Rudes represents a diverse group of talented authors, playwrights, directors, screenwriters and actors in America and Europe. Among them is filmmaker Lloyd Kaufman (“The Toxic Avenger”), playwright Nathan Sanders (“The Sugar Bean Sisters”), author/director Jack Baxter (“Blues By The Beach”) and actress Maria de Medeiros (“Pulp Fiction”).

Mistral Artist was also the platform for the launching of “Cinémonde” in New York City in 2008, a year-round series of invitation-only evenings for film lovers and filmmakers with sneak previews of thought-provoking films from around the world. Cinémonde soirées include cocktail receptions, Q&As with the filmmakers and networking opportunities for film, media and entertainment professionals, and those who want to be. Among the many filmmakers who have presented their work at Cinémonde are Mary Stuart Masterson, Jerry Zaks, John Turturro, Susan Seidelman, Matthew Broderick, Patrice Leconte, Dayna Goldfine & Dan Geller, Jannicke Systad Jacobsen, Frederic Lilien, Jörgen Bergmark, Gianni Di Gregorio, Laurent Tirard, Tammy Simon Hoffs, Jennifer Devoldère and Thierry Binisti.

As of 2002, Mr. Rudes served as US Coordinator for LVT, one of the world leaders in film and digital subtitling. In that capacity, he supervised the subtitling of hundreds of films, including many official selections for the Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Sundance, Locarno, Tribeca and Toronto Film Festivals. His work encompassed new titles as well as restorations, including CAESER MUST DIE by the Taviani brothers, HOLY MOTORS by Leos Carax, THE FAMILY by Luc Besson, THE WAR by Ken Burns, TERRAFERMA by Emanuele Crialese, GO FOR SISTERS by John Sayles, CHASING ICE by Jeff Orlowski, BATTLE OF ALGIERS by Gillo Pontecorvo, DAMSELS IN DISTRESS by Whit Stillman, CITY OF MEN by Paulo Morelli, TAKING WOODSTOCK by Ang Lee, WOMEN ON THE SIXTH FLOOR by Philippe Le Guay, STARBUCK by Ken Scott, PASSIONE by John Turturro, SNOWFLOWER by Wayne Wang, 13 ASSASSINS by Takashi Miike and FAREWELL MY QUEEN by Benoit Jacquot.

Mr. Rudes also supervised several dubbing projects, most notably the Japanese VO for THE COVE by Louis Psihoyos, which premiered at the Tokyo Film Festival and went on to win the Oscar for “Best Documentary” of 2009.

As of March 1, 2014, Mr. Rudes’ own company, Mistral Artist Management, took over all subtitling and captioning activity from LVT-USA, which was closed down by its French owners.

Under the Mistral Artist shingle, Mr. Rudes has subtitled, SYMPHONY OF SOIL by Deborah Koons Garcia, JEWS OF EGYPT by Amir Ramsis, LAND HO! by Aaron Katz & Martha Stephens, KUMIKO, THE TREASURE HUNTER by David Zellner, FOXCATCHER by Bennett Miller, SONG ONE by Kate Barker-Froyland, MANGLEHORN by David Gordon Green and DA SWEET BLOOD OF JESUS by Spike Lee. Mr. Rudes also delivered subtitles for BEASTS OF NO NATION by Cary Joji Fukunaga, PEGGY GUGGENHEIM: ART ADDICT by Lisa Immordino Vreeland and THE FIRST MONDAY IN MAY by Andrew Rossi, the opening night selection at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival. He also did the subtitles for CHILDREN OF THE MOUNTAIN by Priscilla Anany, winner of 2016 TFF “Best Director Award”.

Mr. Rudes’ recent projects include the Italian subtitling of THE BRAT by John Ford, MONTE by Amir Naderi, and MY ART by Laurie Simmons, all for screenings at the 2016 Venice Film Festival as well as the French subtitling of AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE by David Franklin for the 2016 Montreal Film Festival.

In collaboration with Yale Film Archives, Mr. Rudes has re-timed and contemporized the English subtitles for Ingmar Bergman’s Swedish classics, THE SEVENTH SEAL, SUMMER WITH MONIKA, WILD STRAWBERRIES and PERSONA. In collaboration with Rialto and Film Forum, Mr. Rudes has also contemporized the English subtitles for Julien Duvivier’s PANIQUE, Jacques Becker’s LE TROU and Vittorio de Sica’s IL BOOM.  Currently, Rudes has worked with UCLA Film Archive on the updated subtitles for Marcel Orphüls’ 4 ½ hour epic, THE MEMORY OF JUSTICE, as well as with Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation, contemporizing the subtitles for 3 classic films by Kenji Mizoguchi: UGETSU, THE CRUCIFIED LOVERS and SANSHO THE BAILIFF.