Caroline Poggi’s credits include “Toys on Fire” and “Chiens.” With Jonathan Vinel, her credits include “After School Knife Fight” and “As Long As Shotguns Remain.” The latter won the Golden Bear at the 2014 Berlinale. “Jessica Forever” is her feature debut.
“Jessica Forever” begins screening at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival on September 12. The film is co-directed by Vinel.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
CP: “Jessica Forever” is the story of criminal children who dream of peace thanks to a woman named Jessica. It’s the story of someone holding out a hand saying, “Don’t be afraid, you’re not alone anymore.”
W&H: What drew you to this story?
CP: Jonathan and I have always been intrigued by violence, adolescence, and monsters. We wanted to tell the story of a community composed of abandoned and violent boys who try to let go of the violence that inhabits them like a tumor.
W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?
CP: I do not want the audience to have one particular thing in mind. I just hope that the film will have an impact on them and make them think.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
CP: The biggest challenge was staying motivated. The road to a film’s creation is often long and treacherous. I always fear that the flame will fade out and I will find myself out of breath, tired and unbelieving.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
CP: The film was produced by the production company Ecce Films run by Emmanuel Chaumet. It was financed thanks to French TV channels including Arte and Ciné+, regions like Corsica and Occitanie, the advance on earnings of the CNC (National Center of Cinema), distributors, and international sales. It’s a classical financial montage of French cinema that works through commissions and their readers.
Compared to other French films, “Jessica Forever” wasn’t made with a big budget, especially considering the number of actors, sets, our shooting duration of nine weeks, and our special effects. We had enough to make the film we pictured, but we still had to be handy and inventive.
W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
CP: It was a childhood dream of mine. It is important to be aware of how lucky one is to be doing what you love. To direct a film is to share emotions, and a certain vision of the world. It is to push our limits, widen our universe, and force us to think.
As a spectator, I like it when cinema takes me out of “myself.” I’m living another life: I discover, I experience, I seek, I feel, I think. All of this helps me to live better, understand, and perceive the world that surrounds me. For these reasons, I think that directing is a way of contributing to our reflections of the world. Every film must be a piece that gives me a better understanding of the world.
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
CP: During my film studies in college, a teacher was sharing Patrice Chéreau’s intentions concerning his film “La Reine Margot.” The director was explaining that in his film, form and content were inseparable. It seems like simple and obvious advice, but it’s a concept that I always keep in mind during the creative process.
I do not remember the worst advice I received. I must have forgotten it and moved on as I saw fit.
W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?
CP: I advise female directors to listen and believe in themselves. It is not spectacular advice, but it’s applicable to anyone of any gender. It’s the basis and the foundation of creation. Society victimizes us, so being a woman filmmaker is seen as a weakness. I’ve moved on from that thinking.
It does not mean that I forget the past and our fights for women’s rights. It means to distance yourself from this idea of inferiority and free yourself by leaving all the fears and cliches behind. To move on, act, create, film, impose yourself, negotiate, and get respect, no matter who you are.
I’m not a “female filmmaker.” I make films. There are no “female films,” like there are no “male films.” There are just different sensitivities, different ideas, different stories, and characters. Films have no sex.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
CP: It’s hard to name only one film. I have great admiration for numerous female filmmakers like Kathryn Bigelow, Mati Diop, and Jane Campion. A film that has deeply inspired me is Claire Denis’ “Beau Travail.” I was struck by her way of filming these men’s bodies and the world of the army. I also really love Chantal Akerman’s work. “D’Est” is extremely poignant and was one of the biggest shocks I saw in the cinema.
W&H: Hollywood and the global film industry are in the midst of undergoing a major transformation. What differences have you noticed since the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements launched?
CP: As far as I’m concerned, nothing has changed. It’s a sad thing to say, but I was kind of protected from all of that since I’ve directed most of my films with my partner Jonathan. I have never felt directly threatened or put to the test because I was a woman. This, however, does not mean that sexism does not exist, or that I am not concerned about this debate.
In my opinion, what is happening now is a normal and necessary evolution. Women dare more and more to impose themselves, to bang their fists on the table, to make themselves heard, and to denounce. You can see changes in other domains including politics, painting, architecture, music, and medicine. Positions of power have changed. People have demanded more parity within institutions which control finances, make decisions, lead, and select. Evolution must happen at the top of the ladder first.
I see a lot of women making films around me. Step by step, generations will follow and the world of cinema will consequently change. I hope that movements like #MeToo and #TimesUp will help things be less compartmented and divided, so we can stop thinking regarding categorizations like “woman,” “man,” “black,” and “white,” and finally act like human beings.
