Céline Sciamma facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Céline Sciamma
Sciamma in 2017
Born	(1978-11-12) 12 November 1978 (age 46) Pontoise, Val-d'Oise, France
Nationality	French
Alma mater	La Fémis
Occupation	Filmmaker
Years active	2004–present

Céline Sciamma (born 12 November 1978) is a French screenwriter and film director. She is known for writing and directing popular films like Water Lilies (2007), Tomboy (2011), Girlhood (2014), Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019), and Petite Maman (2021). Céline Sciamma has won many awards and nominations for her movies, including two nominations for the BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language.

A common idea in Sciamma's films is how people see themselves and their gender, and how girls and women express who they are. She also explores the idea of the female gaze, which means showing stories from a woman's point of view.

Early Life and Education

Céline Sciamma was born on 12 November 1978. She grew up in Cergy-Pontoise, a town near Paris, France. Her father, Dominique Sciamma, designs computer software. Her brother, Laurent Sciamma, is a stand-up comedian and graphic designer.

Before going to La Fémis, a top French film school, Sciamma earned a master's degree in French Literature from Paris Nanterre University. When she was a child, she loved to read. As a teenager, she became very interested in movies. Sciamma says her grandmother inspired her love for film because her grandmother enjoyed old Hollywood movies. Sciamma also went to an art house cinema called Utopia three times a week when she was a teenager.

She wrote her first movie script, Water Lilies, for her final project at La Fémis. Sciamma has said she never planned to direct films. She thought she would only write scripts or be a film critic because she felt directing was mostly for men. However, Xavier Beauvois, who was on her evaluation panel and became her mentor, convinced her to make the film. One year after finishing school, she started filming Water Lilies in her hometown.

Céline Sciamma's Film Career

First Films and Recognition (2004–2014)

Sciamma started her career by writing short films such as Les Premières Communions (2004) and Cache ta joie (2006). Her first full-length movie, Water Lilies, came out in 2007. The original French title, "Naissance des Pieuvres," means "Birth of the Octopuses." Sciamma wrote the script for this film as her school project, but she didn't plan to direct it herself at first. The movie was filmed in Cergy, France, and is about the world of synchronized swimming.

Water Lilies was shown at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. It also won the Louis Delluc award for a first film. The movie received three nominations for the 2008 César Awards, which are like the French Oscars. Sciamma was nominated for Best Debut, and actresses Adèle Haenel and Louise Blachère were nominated for Most Promising Actress.

In 2009, Sciamma directed her first short film called Pauline. This film was part of a government campaign to fight against homophobia.

Her 2011 film Tomboy was made very quickly. Sciamma wrote the script in just three weeks, found the actors in three weeks, and filmed the movie in 20 days. It was shown at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival and won the Teddy award for films with queer themes. The movie was even shown in French schools as part of an educational program. Sciamma also worked on the TV series Les Revenants (2012) for about a year and a half. She has mentioned that she would like to direct more TV series in the future.

Her 2014 film Girlhood was chosen to be shown at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. It also played at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival and the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Sciamma has said that Girlhood would be her last "coming-of-age" film. She considers Girlhood, Water Lilies, and Tomboy to be a trilogy, meaning a series of three films. Girlhood is about a young woman who leaves school and joins a group of friends. The film received some comments because it focused on Black experiences and had mostly Black actors, but was directed and made by a mostly white team.

Recent Work (2015–Present)

Since 2015, Céline Sciamma has been a co-president of the SRF (Society of Film Directors). When she is not directing her own movies, Sciamma continues to write scripts for other directors. For example, André Téchiné, a director Sciamma admired when she was young, asked her to help write the script for his 2016 film Being 17. She also adapted the book Ma Vie de Courgette (My Life as a Courgette) into a script for an animated film.

In June 2017, Sciamma was invited to become a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the group that gives out the Oscars.

Sciamma's fourth major film, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, started filming in late 2018. It was first shown at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Queer Palm and the award for Best Screenplay. Many critics praised the film. David Sims from The Atlantic said it was "a film about the deeply personal process of creativity." He called it "a grand leap forward for Sciamma."

Sciamma then filmed her fifth movie, Petite Maman, in late 2020. It premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in March 2021. It also won the Audience Award at the 2021 San Sebastián International Film Festival. In the same year, she also helped write the 2021 film Paris, 13th District with Jacques Audiard and Léa Mysius.

Filmmaking Style and Themes

Céline Sciamma often works with Para One, who has composed music for all her films. She also frequently works with cinematographer Crystel Fournier, who filmed Sciamma's Girlhood trilogy and other projects.

Sciamma is known for choosing actors who are not professional. She also often casts Adèle Haenel, who appeared in Water Lilies, Pauline, and Portrait of a Lady on Fire.

Sciamma believes that clothes and style are very important for showing who a character is. Because of this, she often designs the costumes for her films, even though she isn't always credited for it.

Sciamma has mentioned that director David Lynch has greatly influenced her. She also considers Virginia Woolf to be "the greatest novelist" and Chantal Akerman to be "one of the most important filmmakers."

A common idea in Sciamma's films is the way people see themselves and their gender. Her movies explore how women are shown on screen. She focuses on the idea of the body and how touch is used in movies. Sciamma is known for her focus on the female gaze. Many experts say she is a leader in creating new ways to show women in media. She also likes to think about the idea of "looking," using Russian nesting dolls as a way to explain "looking within looking."

Sciamma focuses on identity and how different groups of people are shown in film. For example, she explores Black identity in Girlhood and motherhood in Petite Maman.

Activism for Equality

Céline Sciamma is a feminist, meaning she believes in equal rights for women. She helped start the French part of the 50/50 by 2020 movement. This group of film professionals in France works to achieve gender equality in the film industry by the year 2020.

She has greatly helped discussions in cinema about the female gaze. Sciamma uses her platform to talk about the limits of the male gaze (showing things from a male point of view) and to create movies that highlight the female gaze. She sees her work, especially Portrait of a Lady on Fire, as a clear example of the female gaze. Sciamma has said that "cinema is always political," and that making films by women and about women is an important political act.

In 2018, she helped organize and took part in a protest by women against inequality at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. Many famous women in film, including Agnès Varda and Cate Blanchett, joined her. This protest pushed for gender equality in the film industry.

At the premiere of her film Portrait of a Lady on Fire at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, both Sciamma and lead actress Adèle Haenel wore 50/50 pins to support the movement.

In 2020, Sciamma and the team from Portrait of a Lady on Fire joined actress Adèle Haenel in walking out of the 45th César Awards. Sciamma said about the walk-out that "there was no plan. It’s all about the moment, a matter of seconds. It’s about moving your legs, as simple as that. And that’s hard. It’s hard to stand up, hard to move your legs. I understand why people don’t. But sometimes you have to.”

Filmography

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Céline Sciamma para niños

• List of female film and television directors
• List of LGBT-related films directed by women