Portraits of young women on fire: Céline Sciamma on female art, identity and intimacy

What sparks fly when women control their own images and share their gaze? Céline Sciamma talks us through her portraits of girlhood and womanhood, culminating in the the heat and light of her Portrait of a Lady on Fire.

[@jyzhan8252]

Every time sciamma talked, there will be new perspectives, new ideas, new surprises

[@polagronwald5148]

SHE IS A GENIUS! Could listen to her voice and what she says for hours without getting bored 😍👏🏼

[@JJp11235]

This was so well edited, and damn Celine is so articulate. Outside of the sound quality, you'd think she scripted this.

[@L3i6HSin63R]

thank you, Janice. She really is such a great advocate for her own work.

[@JQJayson]

After seeing Portrait of a Lady on Fire, I caught up with Sciamma's entire filmography, so this essay was a treat for me. Loved the way the intersectionality of these female gazes has been suggested by the layered images. Excellent work!

[@L3i6HSin63R]

thanks Jayson, and very glad to hear Portrait... inspired you to watch her other films!

[@jerry133226]

Jayson Quearry I did the same as well,I love how the themes was developed more maturely and deepen with her every new movie, the struggled balance of masculinity and femininity from Tomboy to Girlhood,and the gaze of course,watch) g portrait again after seeing every each of her film felt even more satisfying

[@JQJayson]

@@jerry133226 Totally agree that Sciamma's handling of these themes evolves and grows overtime. She's developed an impressively cohesive body of work.

[@corysleater965]

What Sciamma says about the difference between the male gaze and the female gaze-- ...damn I did not know I needed that clarified. But now that it is, I can better understand how Portrait of a Lady on Fire made me feel and why. (Alert: what I'm about to say may be TMI for some, so apologies in advance! And trolls, do your worst, I don't care) I remember that when I watched the movie I was aroused by the sound of the characters' intense breathing in one scene. The audio detail reminded me (a straight man) what it's like to breathe--or, maybe more accurately, what it's like to be losing your breath--in an intensely emotional and erotic experience. But that's not at all how I felt when I watched, for instance, Blue is the Warmest Color. That movie didn't make me feel how its characters felt when they were depicted in a sex scene. That movie empowered the voyeur in me--it was pure the male gaze. Sciamma's movie, however, made me really feel connected to those women. I didn't desire *them*. I desired their desire for one another, if that makes sense. It was a really powerful theory of mind moment for me. Any way!... awesome video. So glad to hear the director's commentary on her amazing ouvre. I hope she keeps making such high caliber art.

[@L3i6HSin63R]

that's really insightful, Cory. Céline is so articulate and precise in what she says and then how she represents it onscreen, great to hear your reaction, thank you!

[@vigneshrb7479]

Thank you for explaining, although I do have a question is the gaze limited to sexuality?, or is there more to it because I watched Call me by your name and the sensuous nature of the relationship between the 2 characters did arouse me (a straight guy), I'm confused...

[@sarahlizg8340]

Wow thank you for this

[@woolf28]

Céline is a genius. Period.

[@dianalizethrubalcavagomez2361]

HI, this is an amazing video thank you! Could you share the interview or interviews where Celine Speaks about the different films?

[@meghanamiriyala]

Great editing.! may I know the source of sound clip?! Thanks in advance