Slalom
Director: Charlène Favier Run Time: 92 min. Rating: NR Release Year: 2021
Starring: Jérémie Renier, Marie Denarnaud, Muriel Combeau, Noée Abita
Country: France, Belgium
Language: French
Presented in the Virtual Screening Room in partnership with Kino Lorber.
“Favier draws us deep into the psychology of her 15-year-old protagonist… Well-made, perceptively performed and deeply enraging, it’s a difficult but necessary watch.”
– Jessica Kiang for Variety
About the film:
Official Selection of Cannes 2020 and selected for the 26th Edition of Rendez-Vous with French Cinema.
15 year-old Lyz, a high school student in the French Alps, has been accepted to a highly selective ski club whose aim is to train future professional athletes. Taking a chance on his new recruit, Fred, ex-champion turned coach, decides to make Lyz his shining star regardless of her lack of experience. Under his influence, Lyz will have to endure more than the physical and emotional pressure of the training. Will Lyz’s determination help her escape his grip?
About the filmmaker:
Director, producer, and screenwriter Charlène Favier crafts authentic stories from young female perspectives. She helmed her first documentary Is everything possible Darling? while traveling in Australia filming alternative lifestyles, and she founded Charlie Bus Production at age 24.
She studied acting at the Jacques Le Coq School in London, directing at the Astoria Studio in New York, and screenwriting at La Fémis in Paris. During her time as a student, she wrote, directed, and produced several short films and documentaries including Free Fall, Omessa, and Odol Gorri with 1001 Productions, which also stars Noée Abita and was nominated for Best Short Film at the 2020 César Awards.
Favier spent her childhood in Val d’Isère, a ski resort in the French Alps, and she began writing the script for her deeply personal debut feature, Slalom, in 2014. In an interview with Florence Almozini for Film at Lincoln Center, Favier discusses abuse, point of view, and her evolving filmmaking style. Watch the interview here.
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