Cinema has the power to shape minds, and Julie Gayet understands that well. With Olympe, a woman in the Revolutionshe puts this general public medium at the service of women by celebrating Olympe de Gouges, a great humanist and pioneer of women's rights long erased from history. Alongside her co-director Mathieu Busson, the director intends to repair this injustice and give this revolutionary figure the place she deserves. We spoke with her a few hours before the world premiere of the film, as part of CINÉMANIA, where she was invited both as a member of the jury and co-director ofOlympe, a woman in the Revolution and main actress of the film.
A erased figure
« The intersectionality of struggles, she had already understood without putting words to it », says Julie Gayet, co-director ofOlympe, a woman in the Revolution. Olympe de Gouges was in fact a pioneer of female political engagement and the fight against slavery, at the time of the French Revolution.
And his legacy is still very real. In 1791 she wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Women and Citizensa revolutionary text advocating legal and legal equality between men and women. At a time when women were placed under the guardianship of their father or husband, Olympe de Gouges demanded emancipation. Her status as a widow granted her relative independence which allowed her to get involved in public debate.
However, his execution under the Terror marked the beginning of his erasure in collective memories. It was not until 1981 that the historian Olivier Blanc devoted a biography to him, the first to highlight his role in the Revolution. “ We have talked so much about Robespierre, about Jean-Paul Marat, about a Revolution of men for men and with men. Nobody was talking about Olympe de Gouges », deplores Julie Gayet.
Embody and pay homage
Today, recognition is underway, several voices are even calling for his pantheonization. And Julie Gayet, for her part, chose to give it a face. And this face is that of Julie Gayet herself, who plays the protagonist on screen. “ It was an incredible opportunity and a huge responsibility “, she confides. The absence of reference images made the incarnation of Olympe even more difficult. “ There was no image of her », remarks Julie Gayet, who describes her intention to fill the “ missing images from the story ».
This mission is of the utmost importance for the actress, who has shown a certain involvement in the feminist cause since her debut in cinema. No choice, she cut her teeth alongside another pioneer who is none other than Agnès Varda. “ I had this incredible chance to be in contact with someone who was free », shares Julie Gayet. Inspired by the filmmaker's philosophy, she was keen to shoot the film in a perfectly equal environment. An essential model, according to her.
Rewriting the history books
« We often talk about cancel culture, but I prefer to talk about bright culture: we must highlight what has been forgotten », explains Julie Gayet. For the actress and director, we cannot highlight Olympe de Gouges without having the intention of revisiting History. Women, their struggles, their accomplishments, have often remained in the shadows of historical narratives, dominated by male figures.
Julie Gayet didn't just want to film a heroine from the past. Above all, she sought to reach the widest possible audience, by accompanying her work with debates and screenings in schools. Olympe de Gouges has recently been studying for the French baccalaureate, but the co-directors hope to be able to anchor her story in collective memories.
And this presentation of the film in schools is also, according to Julie Gayet, a way of addressing important current issues: “ Between #MeToo, sexism, parity and equal pay… we talk about a lot of things with middle and high school students when we come to present Olympe. »
A fight that continues
Ultimately, Julie Gayet sees in Olympe de Gouges a source of inspiration for contemporary struggles: “ This is not a fight of women against men, but a fight for equality. Olympe herself said: Women's worst enemy is women. We must move away from jealousy and opposition to move forward together. »
According to her, the full emancipation of women will also require strong cultural models. “ Women should all have seen Thelma and Louise. This film would do them so much good. ” With Olympe, a woman in the revolutionshe hopes to offer the world another icon, a model of courage and commitment.
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