Sundance 2020: Élodie Dermange
Born in 1992, Élodie Dermange is a Swiss animation director. She obtained an illustration degree in 2012 in Geneva. In 2017 she directed her first animated short movie, Intimity, which won Grand Prix at the Tampere International Short Film Festival. In 2019, she completed her course at La Poudrière, where she directed her graduation film, Inès. Her she talks to us on how she made her first animated film with limited experience and how her own personal experience with pregnancy and consideration of abortion brought her to make this film.
How did you find your way into film making?
A few years ago, I was an illustrator and I was really unhappy with this work. It was difficult for me to find clients and really precarious to find jobs. At some point I wanted to try animation. Mostly because animation is an industry and industry means more stable jobs and salary. I tried doing an internship at a studio to learn basic techniques and see if I liked the technician job. But when I arrived at the studio, the producer liked my art and proposed to me do make my own film.
So I started to make my first short without knowing ANYTHING about animation. I learned how to direct, animate and make a movie while I was making it. So in my case, the film industry has always been really welcoming. People let me be who I am and do want I want. They truly believe in me and that’s incredible. I feel really lucky about that.
Tell us about your film?
“Inès” is a movie that I would have liked to have seen at a very pivotal moment in my life. In that moment, I was pregnant and I was trying to think about all the possibilities that were in front of me. All the stories that I heard and all the movies or books that I watched or read about the subject were only into a limited point of view. I felt there were only two possibilities for me: The first, to continue the pregnancy, which was great but not the right moment. And the second, to abort and regret it all my life. Of course, the possibility of regret could happen, but it’s absolutely not an obligation. Even if you decided with a touch of regret to discontinue the pregnancy: you can feel good about it. This is the perspective I missed, I never heard a point of view like this one. Even if I think it can be quite common in real life. So I decided to share it. The story of “Inès” is not mine. But it is something that I’ve been through. And a point of view that I missed.
How did you take the news of being accepted into the festival?
So good! It is so great to feel that people find something interesting in a movie that you build alone. As filmmakers, we are never sure if we are going in a good direction or not. The approval of a festival is a really good feeling. It makes me think that the movie has potential!
Funding in this industry can always be a challenge, how did you achieve yours?
Yes, and especially in animation, where everything takes more time so cost even more than live action.
But “Inès” is a graduation movie that I made in my school (l’école de la Poudrière in France). The school provided me with a small budget and I was allowed to pay some technicians (editing, compositing, sound and mix) and a music composer. Because I was a student and it was my graduation movie, I wasn’t paid for the work that I did. But it is normal.
What was the most challenging aspect of making your film and how did you overcome this?
I think it is the writing. For me, it the message that you deliver with a movie is really important. First, it is important to know what you want to say, which was easy for me because I came with that idea first.
And then, how to explain it in the best way. And this was really challenging. Because there are many ways to share a feeling, a way of thinking, a story or a point of view, you need to make choices. And the choices that you make should be strong, interesting and clear to understand. Writing is really important. As a film director, we have the opportunity to talk to people all over the world. And these people are coming act as a panel and completely focus on something that we want to talk about. It is so precious to have this kind of attention. We really need to take it as a big gift and talk about things that we care a lot, I respect this audience.
If you could have gone into any other role in the industry, which would you be interested in?
I love every task into the process to make a film, and this is probably why I am a director. We are everywhere and we do everything. I love to write, to think, but I also enjoy to develop to storyboard, to animate, etc. I don’t have any skills into sound production and musical score. But I do love a lot to work with professionals and be with them and try to do the best for the movie. Everything is passion!
The percentage of female directors at Sundance has increased again this year, a great move for the industry, which female film makers do you look up to?
I don’t know a lot of directors that are coming to Sundance. So I am excited to discover new female (and others of course) talents! I’m coming to the festival so I will watch the most movies that I can and discover the most talent that I can.
What’s the next project for you?
I am developing my next short film at the moment about family taboos. This project is really difficult since it’s a bit more intimate. But I start to be happy with the story and the writing. I’m work really hard on it.
And finally, what film are you most looking forward to seeing in 2020
I have to tell you that I’m so focused on the development of my next short. I haven’t even looked at the program for the festival yet! But I will discover everything when I arrive in Park city :) I am looking forward to come and to live the all Sundance’s experience!
Ines will be screening in the Shorts 3 Program. For more information on this years line up at Sundance Film Festival 2020 visit their website here.
