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 November 12, 1978) is a talented French filmmaker. She is known for writing and directing several acclaimed movies. These include Water Lilies (2007), Tomboy (2011), Girlhood (2014), Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019), and Petite Maman (2021). Sciamma has won many awards and nominations for her work. She even received two BAFTA nominations for Best Film Not in the English Language.

A key idea in Sciamma's films is exploring how girls and women express themselves. She also shows different kinds of love stories. Her movies often present stories from a female point of view.

Early Life and Education

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

Before going to film school, Sciamma studied French literature. She earned her master's degree at Paris Nanterre University. From 2001 to 2005, she attended La Fémis. This is a famous French film school. As a child, she loved reading books. She became interested in movies when she was a teenager. Sciamma says her grandmother inspired her love for film. Her grandmother enjoyed watching old Hollywood movies. Sciamma also visited an art house cinema called Utopia three times a week as a teen.

She wrote her first movie script, Water Lilies, for her final project at La Fémis. Sciamma initially thought she would only write scripts or be a film critic. However, Xavier Beauvois, a filmmaker on her evaluation panel, encouraged her to direct the film herself. About a year after finishing school, she began filming Water Lilies in her hometown.

Filmmaking Career

First Films and Recognition (2004–2014)

Sciamma started her career by writing short films. These included Les Premières Communions (2004) and Cache ta joie (2006). Her first full-length movie, Water Lilies, came out in 2007. The French title means "Birth of the Octopuses." This film was her final project at film school. It was filmed in Cergy, her hometown. The movie explores the world of synchronized swimming. It shows a main character discovering new feelings and attractions.

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

In 2009, Sciamma directed a short film called Pauline. This film was part of a government campaign against prejudice.

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

Her 2014 film, Girlhood, was 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 was her last "coming-of-age" film. She considers it, Water Lilies, and Tomboy a trilogy. These films explore the journey of young people growing up. Girlhood tells the story of a young woman who leaves school and joins a group of friends. The film received some discussion because it focused on Black experiences. It featured a mostly Black cast, but was directed by a mostly white crew.

Later Works and Continued Success (2015–Present)

Since 2015, Sciamma has been a co-president of the SRF. This is the Society of Film Directors in France. She continues to write screenplays for other directors. For example, she co-wrote the script for André Téchiné's 2016 film Being 17. She also adapted the book Ma Vie de Courgette into a screenplay. This became a stop-motion animated film called My Life as a Courgette.

In 2017, Sciamma was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This is the group that gives out the Oscars.

Sciamma's fourth feature film, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, began filming in 2018. It premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. There, it won the Queer Palm and Best Screenplay awards. Critics praised the film. David Sims from The Atlantic called it "the most enthralling cinema experience of the year." He noted it was a big step forward for Sciamma.

Sciamma filmed her fifth feature, Petite Maman, in 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 2021, she also co-wrote the film Paris, 13th District with Jacques Audiard and Léa Mysius.

Filmmaking Style and Themes

Sciamma often works with the composer Para One. He has created music for all her films. She also frequently collaborates with cinematographer Crystel Fournier. Fournier worked on Sciamma's "Girlhood" trilogy and other projects.

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

Sciamma believes that fashion and style are important for showing who a character is. She often designs the costumes for her films, even if she isn't officially credited. She has mentioned David Lynch as a strong influence. She also admires Virginia Woolf as a great novelist and Chantal Akerman as an important filmmaker.

Sciamma has explained that synchronized swimming in Water Lilies has a deeper meaning. She said it "reveals a lot about the job of being a girl." This is because it combines athletic skill with a feminine look.

A common theme in Sciamma's films is exploring how girls and women express themselves. Her movies look at different kinds of love and how they are shown on screen. She focuses on the body and how touch is used in cinema. Sciamma is known for her focus on the female point of view. Many experts see her as a leader in showing women in new ways in media. She also likes to think about the idea of "looking." She uses the idea of Russian nesting dolls as a metaphor for "looking within looking."

Sciamma also regularly explores themes of family. These include families that are not traditional, dealing with loss, and adoption. By focusing on stories about growing up, she examines how children and teenagers become independent. This is especially true for how they understand who they are. Her films often show children without their parents. They document their changes and imagination on screen. She is interested in how they are controlled and how they gain freedom.

Sciamma does not believe in the idea of a "muse" for her work. Even though she had a personal relationship with Haenel, she says their work together is about teamwork and new ideas, not just fascination.

Sciamma focuses on identity and how people are shown in film. For example, she explores Black identity in Girlhood. She also looks at motherhood in Petite Maman.

Activism

Céline Sciamma is a feminist. She helped start the French branch of the 50/50 by 2020 movement. This group of French film professionals worked for equal representation in film by 2020.

She has greatly contributed to discussions about the female point of view in cinema. Sciamma uses her platform to talk about the limits of stories told only from a male point of view. She creates movies that highlight the female point of view. She sees her film Portrait of a Lady on Fire as a clear example of this. Sciamma said that "cinema is always political." She believes that making films by women and about women is a political act.

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

At the premiere of Portrait of a Lady on Fire at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, Sciamma and Haenel wore 50/50 pins. This showed their support for the movement.

In 2020, Sciamma and the Portrait of a Lady on Fire team walked out of the 45th César Awards. This happened after an award was given to a director involved in a past controversy. Sciamma said about the walkout, "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."

Personal Life

Céline Sciamma is openly gay. In 2014, actress Adèle Haenel publicly shared that she was in a relationship with Sciamma. This happened during her acceptance speech for a César Award. The two met while working on the film Water Lilies. They started dating sometime after that. The couple later separated amicably. This was before the filming of Portrait of a Lady on Fire, which also starred Haenel.

Filmography

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Céline Sciamma para niños

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