Renowned French filmmaker Claire Denis will be at White Hall this Wednesday and Thursday for two presentations concerning her latest film "White Material." Thursday, Denis discuss her craft and inspiration in a Creativity Conversation.
"It's always invaluable to hear a great artist talk about her work," Chair and Professor of Film and Media Studies Matthew Bernstein said.
"We want to be able to give students this very special opportunity to hear [her] talk about her ideas of filmmaking and her creative process. Her films are really unique and really distinctive. She's a really unique voice in the world film culture and among filmmakers working together."
According to an Oct. 18 Emory Arts press release, Denis worked as an assistant director to Jim Jarmusch and Wim Wanders before making her directing debut in 1988 with "Chocolat" – a film about a French girl growing up in an African colonial outpost.
Since then, Denis has become known for her exploration of French post-colonialism and its repercussions on the lives of everyday people.
In hopes of students gaining an experience from the peculiarity of Denis' films, the Film and Media Studies and French and Italian Studies Departments were paramount in bringing Denis to Emory, Bernstein explained.
Prior to Denis' arrival, Emory's French Club worked closely with the French and Film departments to help advertise the film screenings and presentations, which included a "Chocolat" screening on Nov. 2. French Club President and College senior Michael Vo expects the forthcoming events to reach the same level of success.
"[That screening] corresponded really well with the other French speakers that came to Emory and talked," Vo said. During the talks "it will [also] be interesting to see the different perspectives on the movies and how she wants her ideas to be shown on the film," he explained.
Senior lecturer in the French and Italian Studies Department Catherine Dana wrote in an email to the Wheel that the movie generated packed rooms each evening.
"After the movie, the graduate students of French and Film animated a Ciné-Club where people asked questions and commented on the movies," she wrote. "This is of course our first wish, that these events would be followed by a lot of people from Emory but also from Atlanta."
The French Consulate Attaché in Atlanta initially asked the French and Italian Studies department if they were interested in inviting Denis to Emory, and the department immediately responded affirmatively.
The talks and screenings are funded by numerous departments at Emory, including Film and Media studies, French and Italian studies, African studies and African and American studies.
A Hightower endowment is also being used to pay for her honorarium.
"We will hopefully get an insight on the way she makes films, she thinks ... [and how] she creates," Dana wrote. "The University can only benefit from such an artistic venue."
Denis' films, the press release cites, have been known to reference or even adapt famous literary works, such as turning Herman Melville's novella "Billy Budd" into the 1999 film "Beau Travail."
Her visual style often consists of long takes, extreme close-ups and associative editing. In addition to editing style, Denis explained that incorporating both dance and music, irregardless of mainstream appeal, or using specifically composed music for her films, are important aspects to her work.
Denis will speak about her latest film, "White Material" (2009) 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 14 and will engage in a Creativity Conversation on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. in White Hall.
– By Shivanghi Singh
