MARIA SCHNEIDER, 1983
France, 2022
25 min.
- Synopsis
- Curatorial presentation
In 1983, French actress Maria Schneider gives an interview for the TV show Cinéma Cinémas. The conversation takes an unexpected turn when she challenges film industry practices and is asked to talk about the controversial film Last Tango in Paris (1972).
Before the Me Too movement demanded accountability from the film industry, the story of Maria Schneider’s abuse during the filming of The Last Tango in Paris was seen mostly as an infamous rumour, despite the actress’ numerous attempts to make herself heard. Elisabeth’s Subrin’s short takes as its starting point a brief interview discovered by the director, made as early as 1983, where the actress reflects on her experience as a woman working within the film industry, hinting at the violations she suffered. By choosing Manal Issa, Aïssa Maïga and Isabel Sandoval to embody Schneider, Subrin’s three part reenactment of this interview invites us to engage in an intersectional reading of their words and gestures, while urging us to reflect on the nature of the power structures that continue to silence women and have made such horrifying abuses possible — then and now. (Oana Ghera)
