CANNES Q&A: 'House of Tolerance' Director Bertrand Bonello

On screen, he’s explored transsexuals, funeral parlors and pornography and now, Bertrand Bonello’s camera is aimed at prostitutes. His feature Tiresia, about a Brazilian transsexual screened in Competition at the 2003 Festival de Cannes, and Bonello was back in the Official Selection with short film Cindy, the Doll is Mine in 2005 then with his fourth feature On War at the Director’s Fortnight in 2008. Bonello trained as a classical musician and composes for his own films. Bonello’s Competition title House of Tolerance is set in a Parisian brothel in the early 20th century. Bonello talked to THR’s France correspondent Rebecca Leffler about making the film, the pleasure of walking the Cannes red carpet and turn-of-the-century ladies of pleasure.