The month of January has been crazy for me. Not only because I’ve worked on two of the most anticipated films of 2024 in France (more about that coming soon), but also because I went back to the U.S. for the first time since 2019. This was actually my first trip outside of Europe since then… It’s crazy when you think about it, as I’ve always loved to travel and go on adventures. But I had things to work on over the past few years, and now I’m back in business.

After spending Christmas in Nice with my family and the New Year in Paris with my friends, I took the Eurostar to London and spent a few days there with other friends before my flight to New York.

I went to New York as some of my family is living there. It was amazing to see them again. We would usually do FaceTime calls or emails every once in a while, but this will never replace the experience of meeting someone face-to-face. I also experienced New York under the snow, which was beautiful. Apparently, there haven’t been snowfalls for two years, so it was pretty special.

I also went to Philadelphia for the first time. I visited my friend Anu, who I met during the workshop with Steve McCurry and Eolo Perfido last year in Rome. He invited me to his mother-in-law’s birthday. The theme of the evening was India, with Indian food and traditional clothes. I had a glimpse of how Americans celebrate their loved ones’ birthdays, and it was beautiful to witness. Lots of love and small attentions that made the evening very enjoyable for everyone. Anu asked me at some point to take a few photographs for him. This is the one that I prefer the most:

This experience made me reflect on how families and friends are crucial for our well-being. We sometimes take them for granted, and we realize later on that once they’re gone, for whatever reason, the impact it has on our lives is immensely important. This is a lesson that I learned the hard way during the Covid crisis. But once you get it, you manage to be much more present for the people that you love the most. You learn to be in the present moment with them, rather than being in your head, which is my specialty. You learn to enjoy every second of their company.

I had the same epiphany during New Year’s Eve with my friends. As they’re starting to have children and create families of their own, I realized that we will never have as much time together as we used to when we were students. So every time we see each other again, I try to make the most of it, as it won’t last as long as before. I think it’s better to appreciate the little time you have with someone rather than having a lot of time but not appreciating every second of it. Things do change, but they change for the better, I think.

Next week is very exciting for me. I’m flying to Dubai, where I’m meeting a very good friend of mine for a week, and after that, I’ll be flying to Bali for three months. My friends have tried to convince me to go there for years now, apparently, Bali suits me. We’ll see how it goes, but I’m very grateful to be able to be there for a few months and work on my projects remotely. I’ve been told many times that I am lucky to be able to do that, and I do think I am lucky.

Also, a lot of very exciting new projects are coming in the next few months. If you don’t want to miss any of it, feel free to sign up for my newsletter here. I won’t spam you, I promise. 1-2 emails a month.