Post 5- Céline Sciamma

Céline Sciamma 

Céline Sciamma is a French screenwriter and film director. Her career began relatively recently, with her debut as screenwriter and director in the film, Water Lillies (2007). She is also well-known for her films Tomboy (2011) and the critically acclaimed Girlhood (2014). Her style of filmmaking puts emphasis on coming-of-age films, typically focused on youth and adolescents. Her more recent films, however, highlight gender fluidity and sexual identity among girls in contemporary society. 

On feminism, Sciamma says, "It's an important social issue... Equality for women is a real social change--the last one we can maybe achieve that will matter, that will actually change things." She goes further to state that in popular media, "[feminism] is always presented as women getting revenge or women getting privilege--as though it only concerns women, or women in countries where they'd be oppressed. Feminism isn't that. It concerns us all. It'd be a great improvement for men too, actually." To be perfectly honest, I had never heard of Sciamma as a director. Only quite recently have I heard of her film, Girlhood, in its proper representation of black characters. After having learned more about her and her other works, I have come to have a deep respect for her.

In Girlhood, Sciamma tackles not the black experience, but the trials of youth using black characters.  In France, Sciamma's decision to show "the margin" made headlines. On her decision, she says, "I picked black girls because I was struck by the lack of representation of black women, and characters, onscreen in France, and Europe also. Especially in Paris, where I live, [it's] actually a very mixed society. I wanted to go for it, but not saying,  "Oh, I'm going to depict what it's like to be a black girl," but actually saying, "I'm going to depict what it's like to be a girl," and why can't that be with a black character?"

I personally feel that this is the mindset that most directors should aspire to have in regards to representation of women and race in film. Her films go on to address real stories and issues prevalent in society's youth, and it's about time we understand what they're going through. Girlhood is just one of several of her films which pass the Bechdel test. Discovering this director has truly been an enlightening experience. 

Works Cited:
http://bit.ly/1DnEyar