At the turn of a picture

* Chantal Akerman in Lettre d’une cinéaste. I don’t know how to take pictures on the spot. So I devote a walk to it, tending towards the appearance of an image as others expect that of a bird. These photos were taken at Bossay sur Claise.

2021

Life is thus made up of small solitudes, writes Barthes. Last year brought its share of them. Now this public bench facing the sea, serene but impatient, awaits our reunion. It is looking forward to the sound of our mixed voices. 

My film comes out and I am housebound.

I saw my movie hundreds of times. But until I see it in a cinema, I will not have watched it.

Today, I was supposed to be at the Visions du Réel festival in Nyon. Our movie Back to Višegrad has been selected. And I am stucked at home.

Me, Antoine Jaccoud, my co-director, Amel Djikoli, our DoP, Igor Iskra, our sound engineer, Vladimir Pavlović, our translator, Ervin Blažević, our driver and much more. But also Budimir Zečević and Djemila Krsmanović, the main characters of our film, and all the pupils. Our fixers, Milan Višnjevac et Ruzica Marjanović. And our producer Elisa Garbar too. Our editor Dejan Savic. And the whole post-production team, Rodney Musso, Jean-Baptiste Perrin, Jérôme Vittoz, Denis Séchaud. Aswell as the composer of the music of our film, Mario Batković.

In France, Switzerland, in Bosnia-Herzegovina, in Serbia in Slovenia

We are all confined.

September 2018, the last shooting day. The last time we were all together. During a long year, we were editing, and making the post-production, color calibrating, sound design, mix. At the end of March 2020, we were ready. Back to Visegrad was finished. We planned a private projection in Bosnia for all the people who took part to this movie. And then. It seems we still have to wait a bit.

2020

In 2020,
I wish you beautiful landscapes
Whether far away or nearby
Whether real or dream
And I encourage you to listen to those who will ask:
« tell us, what did you see? »

Currently

I am directing two movies with pupils and their teachers in two schools in the Seine-Saint-Denis department (close to Paris). With one class, we are directing a short movie on a French anarchist called Ravachol. With the other class, we are preparing a musical… Some pictures here.

I just finished two short movies codirected with a colleague of mine about women in Iraq. You can see them here.

I am also working on the editing of my first long documentary movie in Bosnia with my colleague Antoine Jaccoud. Some pictures here.

In 2019

Being outside
even when it is cold and rainy
enjoying it.
Paying attention to the near and to the far
the fog might disappear -or not.
We just have to accept uncertainty and fragility. 
Happy New Year,
Julie B, January 2019