Katie Byrne spotlights a French short film festival, drawing attention to the films that placed women at the centre of its narrative.
Fête du court métrage: elles au premier plan, a short film festival held in France’s Grand Est region in late March. This event introduced audiences to five distinct French-language short films which, despite their varied subject matter, all placed women firmly at the centre, resisting reductive or simplistic narratives. For just five euros, you could experience five films, each ranging between thirteen and twenty one minutes long, in a small northern French city. Each film left audiences with a question, a feeling, and a lingering insistence to sit with for long after the final credits rolled.
The first two showings were heavy in subject matter and dealt with real-life issues head-on. Karatéka by Florence Fauquet centered around menstruation in female sports, with rivals ditching their competitive nature in favour of standing with each other in times of need. The use of lighting and colour was subtle but effective. The film adopted the typical red and blue corner set-up, with red slowly taking up more space as the film progressed. Although short in content, the film portrayed what is the reality for most women in sports.
Agnès by Nora Arnezeder omitted men from the film altogether as we witnessed a harrowing day in a French actress’ life living in America. The bilingual film opens with an eerie sense of normality, which is abruptly shattered when a routine trip to the supermarket descends into gun violence. Despite not having any lines, the women in the supermarket scene portrayed a powerful collective voice, representing diverse experiences of womanhood. Where the first film encouraged a round of applause at its conclusion, Agnès seemingly stunned the audience into silence.
The proceeding two showings were more abstract but not lacking in humour. Dieu est timide by Jocelyn Charles is an animated film that sketches some fears of the world both literally and metaphorically. The short film format proved especially effective in exploring this topic, allowing the audience to arrive at different conclusions regarding the central message. A mysterious woman haunted the storyline, and it remained unclear whether she was the hero or antagonist.
Sam & Lola by Mahuat Adam was more of a slapstick comedy that focused on uniting women and highlighting the importance of female solidarity. Despite the humour, the film did include some more serious subject matters involving a run in with an all-male police squad. Although it was the longest film of the group, Sam & Lola stood out for its ability to compactly address gender-based oppressions and realities in our society.
Finally, Milkshake by Lisa Blum did not shy away from the theme of motherhood and its associated challenges. The film spanned only a couple of days, but it managed to convey the experience of balancing motherhood and a career in the fullest possible form.
This small event not only promoted the short-film format and the French language, but it united five different narratives together by honouring and celebrating womanhood. Shining a light on the oftentimes ambient realities of being a woman, the five films stood in solidarity side-by-side, creating a powerful portrayal that spoke louder than any stand-alone feature film.