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DEADLINE: Congratulations on your inaugural selection.
How did you find the process of pulling it together?
JULIEN REJL:It was a fascinating marathon.
Julien RejlCannes Directors' Fortnight
We received even more films than in previous years.
This shows the vivacity of contemporary cinema creation but it also makes our work even harder.
DEADLINE:The line-up features a lot of films that were not on the radar of prediction lists.
Did you deliberately seek out films that were not expected?
REJL:Yes and no.
My selection committee is very diverse in its profiles.
I wanted to being together a group of experts with very different ideas on cinema around the table.
We allowed ourselves to go and look everywhere.
The idea was to remain open and watch films that werent on everyones radar.
We took the films we thought were the best.
DEADLINE:You previously worked in production, distribution and international sales at French film company Capricci.
Over the years, you must have tried to get films into festivals.
How was it to be on the other side of the process?
REJL:It held similar challenges to those I encountered as a distributor.
During my time at Capricci, I always tried to find original or audacious works outside the norm.
I think festivals need to renew how they program.
Producers and directors can also pile on the pressure.
How did you deal with this?
REJL:I had a lot of requests and supplications but I held strong.
I kept my independence, even if I encountered a lot of disappointment, resistance and insistence.
DEADLINE:You said that the submissions revealed creative hotspots all over the world and in unexpected places.
Were there any territories that particularly stood out?
REJL:We saw a particular vivacity in Asia, where young filmmakers have a very powerful cinematic language.
I was astonished because in recent years the Asian presence at Cannes was relatively weak.
Another example, which might not seem obvious, is Latin America.
There was a rich offering there too, particularly from Brazil and Argentina.
We dont have films from the region for two reasons.
Firstly, the films we identified ended up elsewhere.
It was the same for Africa.
North Africa is very rich.
REJL:I found the submissions coming out of Americas independent cinema scene incredible.
I was also surprised.
I also keep hearing that American independent cinema is dying, that it is becoming rarer and rarer.
Even as a spectator of American independent cinema in France, nothing has really excited me of late.
But the selection process has been an eye-opener.
These films arrive from nowhere.
Wed never heard of them before.
We watched them and were immediately swept away.
Something is going on in the United States.
There were a number of other really good American films, but we couldnt take them all.
REJL:I dont know.
I believeThe Sweet Eastwas shot over a long period of time, without much money.
These are films that are carried by the force of the director with relatively few resources.
We can see that when a filmmaker really wants to tell a story cinematically, they find a way.
Joanna Arnows film is similar.
Its very minimalist but it invents something in terms of cinema, comedy and auto-fiction.
There is something astonishing and audacious about these works.
There is an energy in American independent cinema that needs support.
This year, seven of the 21 directors with films in the line-up are women.
Can you comment on the gender gap?
The proportion of films directed by women in the line-up is above these percentages.
How did you secure Gondrys film?
REJL:Its a very sincere and very funny film.
Its also more personal and intimate and different in tone from his previous films.
It felt like the right time for him to return to Directors Fortnight and his distributor and producer agreed.
DEADLINE: And Hong Sangsoo?
We were sent the film and loved it.
He is very happy to come to Directors Fortnight.
DEADLINE:As you said, the selection features a number of under-the-radar titles.
Can you tell us a bit more about Cameroonian director Rosine Mbakams filmMambar Pierrette?
The film follows her at work and home and also explores male-female relations at the heart of Cameroonian society.
Its a fiction that is strongly anchored in reality.
The mother has disappeared.
We come to understand she is dead.
The film was shot at the end of 2021 before the war in Ukraine.
DEADLINE:Did you have any qualms about inviting a Russian director in light of the War in Ukraine?
The film shows that an independent spirit is alive in Russian cinema.
DEADLINE: This leads to another question that does not only concern Directors Fortnight.
So far, not a single Ukrainian feature film has been selected for Cannes this year.
Did you receive many Ukrainian submissions?
REJL:We received Ukrainian films.
Thats why there are no Ukrainian films in the lineup.
What drew you to this film?
REJL:Its a film Ive been following for some time.
Hes a figure who divides.
Even in France, he has his fans and his detractors.
Its a cinema which either conquers spectators or completely repels them.
Its the sort of cinema, I want to give a life to at Directors Fortnight.
The film is very rock, queer and wild.
I think we need films that provoke a debate and divide the audience.
DEADLINE: There appear to be 18 actresses in the cast playing Connan at different stages of her life.
Will they all attend the premiere?
So, I wouldnt be surprised if all these actresses decided to accompany the film.
DEADLINE:And finally.
What does the future hold for Directors Fortnight?
The section was born in 1969 as an anti-establishment strand celebrating independently-spirited directors.
Does this pose a problem for the section?
REJL:This is my first year so I cannot talk for my predecessors.
Its because we did our job properly.
We tried to go where people didnt expect us to go.
This is how Directors Fortnight expresses itself differently from all the other Cannes sections.
