Capdenac-Gare. A successful Unipop evening with Olympe de Gouges

Monday January 13, the Atmosphère cinema in Capdenac-Gare had an almost full house for the Unipop evening dedicated to Olympe, a woman in the revolution. This biopic, directed by Julie Gayet and Mathieu Busson, highlights the journey of Olympe de Gouges, a major figure in women’s rights and the fight against slavery during the French Revolution. The film, the first television fiction dedicated to Olympe de Gouges, is distinguished by its equal production, the Gayet-Buisson duo having collaborated for more than a decade on documentaries centered on women. Julie Gayet underlined: “This film should make you want to read more of the works of Olympe de Gouges. She wrote around 80 texts, but only a part is known today.” A humanist above all, Olympe de Gouges is presented in the film as a woman ahead of her time, driven by progressive ideas that still resonate today. Sisterhood, at the heart of the story, is a recurring theme in this work shot partly near here, in Villefranche-de-Rouergue, with local settings which immerse the spectators in the atmosphere of the 18th century. The evening continued with a meeting broadcast live from Pessac, where Julie Gayet, Mathieu Busson and Élise Pavy-Guilbert, historian specializing in the Enlightenment, spoke with the spectators. Thanks to an interactive device, questions were asked live, whether in the Pessac theater or from partner cinemas, such as Capdenac. A high school student notably questioned the guests on the concrete progress made possible by Olympe de Gouges. Julie Gayet also spoke about the statue of Olympe de Gouges, which was honored during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Historian Élise Pavy-Guilbert confirmed the great historical fidelity of the film , while specifying that certain script choices were fiction. Mathieu Buisson, for his part, explained how he balanced historical rigor with the narrative freedom specific to fiction. Scheduled for broadcast on March 8 on France Télévisions, on the occasion of International Women’s Day, this film carries a strong message. “The team was driven by the history of Olympe,” confided Julie Gayet, recalling the importance of this pioneer and her struggles which are still relevant today.