You will be a member of the jury of the European Short Film Festival in Brest, from November 12 to 17, 2024. How did you find yourself in this adventure?
Julie Roué: “I know that the festival is keen to invite cinema people from the region. I grew up in Saint-Urbain and went to school in Landerneau. Brest is my country! And I met part of the festival team through mutual friends, at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023. I love the short: it’s the future of cinema. This is where we see the freest forms, where we can push the aesthetic cursors.”
How did you become a film score composer?
“I came to cinema through sound. I attended the Louis Lumière school in Paris, where there were cinema and photography students. It was quite natural to start working together. And then, film music is also a way for shy people to make music without having to be on stage. When I was younger, tinkering around in my student room to make film scores was much more accessible. Even if, over time, it can be frustrating to always put ourselves at the service of others, we wonder what music is really in our guts! This is why I am also currently developing a more personal project, Jo Vague, of songs in French with an aspiration towards techno.”
“Only 7% of film soundtracks released in cinemas are signed by women! This is the profession where there are the most delays! »
You recently wrote the music for the “Zorro” series, with Jean Dujardin. Were you able to maintain your freedom in such a production?
“In the end, I didn’t feel like I was a big machine, because with the editors and directors, we are the same age and we get along really well. There was still this collegial functioning and a very good atmosphere, which made me feel very free to work. Ultimately, the most impressive thing was Jean Dujardin himself, because he is very attentive to everything. He was even the one who said at one point that we needed a theme for Zorro, for the character. I didn’t plan it, it just happened and it was a great idea.”
You are committed to parity in the cinema professions with the 50/50 collectives and especially Third Author, for female composers. Why this cause?
“You just need to note the rarity of female composers in this environment: only 7% of the soundtracks of films released in cinemas are signed by women! This is the profession where there are the most delays! With the collective, we try to share experiences, to explain how this environment works, to help those who are getting started, to ensure that they do not have this feeling of illegitimacy.”
What projects are you dreaming of now?
“Honestly, the projects I’m working on! I don’t dream of Hollywood or bigger productions. I am very happy to work with Erwan Leduc, who is a director who always challenges me, with Émilie Noblet, a director who does wonderful things. My dream would rather be that my project Jo Vague finds its audience, now that I feel the courage to be on stage.”
Practical
39th edition of the Brest European Short Film Festival, from Tuesday November 12 to Sunday November 17, 2024. Complete programming and ticketing via the website www.filmcourt.fr
