these local artists who are not forgotten

IThere are stars of music and cinema at the Twin Sisters festival: Daho, Le Forestier, Audiard, MC Solaar and others Bonnaire, Boon and Dubosc. But the rich programming also devotes space to local artists, as a springboard. So in preview, Thursday June 27 at 4 p.m. at the Apollo cinema, we will discover “Battements d’Est”, a film directed by Julia Vandal, from Fouras, and the two Rochelaises, Kenza Rautureau and Nolwenn Skolle.

Sorority

What the three authors have in common is the La Rochelle conservatory where they met several years ago. The dancer Kenza Rautureau has made dance her profession; the flautist and pianist Nowenn Skolle became a musician and composer; finally, the accordionist Julia Vandal chose journalism and today works at radio Pulsar in Poitiers.

See how artists live, leaving behind images from Epinal

After their studies, the two Rochelaises created the company Lucioles which mixes cultures and disciplines. During a residency in Senegal, they filmed and, on their return, asked Julia Vandal to edit the clip. This is the trio’s first collaboration. Building on their momentum, in the summer of 2021, the three will set up another project: a trip to Eastern Europe “to see how artists live, moving away from the Epinal images of post-communism, wars, folklore of gypsy music and poverty,” says Julia Vandal, who wanted to abolish preconceived ideas.

So, nothing is written in advance. “We allowed ourselves the freedom to see and listen first,” continues Julia. Even if scouting via social networks was done in advance as well as a collection of 8,000 euros. In total, the preparatory work took a year before starting a road trip in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania. “We slept either wild camping, with locals or by renting rooms. Everything went well, except on the way back, our car was broken into… in Grenoble! », smiles Julia again, who luckily had kept her camera with her.

Change your outlook

“By meeting around thirty artists, our perspective as Western Europeans changed. Everyone says they are fed up with people talking to them about the war in Bosnia or communism. They want to look at the future. We thought they were making militant art, but no, apart from the older, more politicized artists, the others are artists and want to create, period,” continues Julia Vandal, who is nevertheless attached to the Roma minority, “ cross-cutting subject in Central Europe”.

The 53-minute self-produced film, to be discovered on Thursday in the presence of the three directors, alternates between testimonies from Central European artists and dance interludes performed by Kenza Rautureau. Nolwenn Skolle composed the music, while Julia Vandal filmed and edited.

A lovely film made by three authors committed to looking at others, never very different from themselves in the end. Presenting this niche subject at the festival is proof that Twin Sisters gives pride of place to women and emerging artists.