27/11/2007

Was creating your first feature painful? Euphoric? Liberating?
What was particular about Naissance des pieuvres (Water Lilies) [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] was that everything went very fast. I didn’t have to suffer waiting. The film was a sprint. Less than a year passed between the writing and the shooting. This speed involved a certain violence but also great joy. I don’t think that you can free yourself from your demons by making a film; on the contrary, it’s a way to live with them for ever.

The film deals with the inner turmoil of three adolescent girls in Parisian suburbs. To what extent do you think this subject can cross borders?
It’s the treatment of the subject which gives it a universal dimension. I chose to take the story away from the adolescent folklore of 2006. It’s the ‘mise en scène’ which gives it the power to affect different audiences. This was my ambition. The film was sold in the US, in England, in Japan…

What are your next projects?
I’ll dedicate the next year to writing. For myself but also for others. I would like to be able to continue in the professions of both scriptwriter and director.