Lysa Lamorisse, Cannelle Anglade and Ethel Harnie-Coussau all met in a Film School in Paris. First, they wanted to experiment with the film medium and create something with their own hands; to craft a film together. Then, as friends, they shared their stories, and so their film was born.
Within the framework of this year’s 16 DAYS 16 FILMS initiative created by Modern Films and the Kering Foundation, a short film competition that platforms female filmmakers and their films, which explore, emote, and educate on forms of violence against women, Tara Karajica talks to Lysa Lamorisse, Cannelle Anglade and Ethel Harnie-Coussau about their short film, “Blossom,” as well as their thoughts on the short form, women in film today and what they are up to next.
How did you get into filmmaking and what inspires you to make films?
Cannelle Anglade: I guess somehow Cinema is the art form that turned me upside down the most as a teen and it still does today. I will never stop being overwhelmed by films and sometimes surprised by how different from me the subject can be. I thought that maybe I had something to share under the Cinema prism.
Ethel Harnie-Coussau: I was in a Cinema class in High School. It allowed me to develop some cinematic projects and participate in small festivals as a competitor or a jury member. Then, I moved to Paris, where I studied at a film school. The inspiration came from dreams, magic… and making true something that is not. Using images and sounds to talk about something we have never seen before…
Lysa Lamorisse: My grandfather was a filmmaker and I knew that I wanted to do the same at a very young age while my family restored his movies. I was obsessed with making my own shorts with my little hand-camera as a teen!
Can you talk about your short film Blossom?
E.H.-C.: The three of us met in a Film School in Paris. First, we wanted to experiment with the medium, create something with our own hands. To craft a film together. Then, we shared our stories and our film was born. Blossom is about the issue of sex without consent. From the stigma of the victims, the film goes towards resilience. Focusing on interiority, it depicts the emotional state of three young women at different moments of their reconstruction, in a poetic and plastic form.
How do you see the short form today?
C.A.: Shorts are more than a simple exercise as they can sometimes be considered. It is a proper form with its own expectations. Nonetheless, it gives more freedom and so, it can be a real playground for filmmakers, opening a spectrum of possibilities. Speaking for ourselves, a small team allowed us to have more confidence in a burst of creative energy.
What is your opinion on the situation of women in film today?
L.L.: Unfortunately, we are still in a man’s world, and the place of women in film today is way too fragile. Change is on its way and sisterhood is blooming! The emergence of festivals such as 16 Days 16 Films encourages female filmmakers’ productions by increasing their visibility.
Who is your favorite female filmmaker and what is your favorite film by a female filmmaker?
E.H.-C.: One of my favorite female filmmakers is Nadine Labaki. Her film that inspired me the most is Where Do We Go Now?. She put women’s force up in a fight between politics and religion. Pure feminism. Furthermore, having grown up with Bollywood movies, I can find in Where Do We Go Now? this oriental and musical vibration, with a more engaged female gaze.
L.L.: Naomi Kawase’s documentaries are a huge inspiration for me. Her work is so moving and elegantly done. I love Daisies by Věra Chytilová. This film blew my mind; it’s empowering and uncompromising!
C.A.: I really like the honesty of French-Italian director Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi who isn’t afraid to show life in its awkwardness. In a different way of telling women stories, The Piano by Jane Campion will always be one of my all-time favorites.
What are your next projects?
E.H.-C.: After we made Blossom and finished school, I left France to go to Asia. I worked with wildlife and looked for adventures, always with my hand-camera. I did some short reports and documentaries during that travel. The actual situation forced me to come back to France, but I will continue my trip when the world is able to welcome me again.
L.L.: We don’t have a project together yet, but personally, I am writing a short film about a little girl becoming a teenager during a summer.
C.A.: I’m following a Journalism course specialized in culture so I can write about films while developing my own script projects.
This interview was conducted within the framework of the 2020 16 DAYS 16 FILMS initiative created by the Kering Foundation and Modern Films.
