Camille Authouart is a French director of animated films and documentaries. Graduated from Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs de Paris in 2013, she stands out for her poetic style and daring stagging. Through her films, Camille explores different animation techniques with the idea that, each graphic universe must be unique and developed to serve the story being told.
Her latest short film “The Great Arc” (2023, Miyu Productions), a poetic and social fable set in the La Défense district of Paris, had its world premiere at the Rotterdam Festival, then at the Annecy Festival, and was shortlisted for the 2024 César Awards.
She is currently working on the development of two films: the first, “Lettre à Nénette”, co-directed with Marion Peltier, is an 8-minute documentary drama in traditional watercolor pastel animation. It’s an engaging, sensitive and poetic film set in the heart of the Menagerie du Jardin des Plantes in Paris, the capital’s oldest zoo. The project is being presented at this year’s Annecy Festival pitches. The second “The Father or the Artist”, a feature-length film combining documentary and animation, is an intimate film about reconstruction, the love of art and transmission. The film’s main character is the director’s father, an 80-year-old painter who, following a stroke and after drawing every day of his life, finds himself faced with his greatest fear and ultimate challenge: re-learning to paint from scratch…
Awarded at several international festivals, Camille Authouart has established herself as a singular and promising voice in contemporary cinema, combining narrative innovation and artistic sensitivity.
Artist Statement
Reflection
For some time now, I have been questioning the role of artists in our society.
Like many people, I am increasingly overwhelmed by the violence and absurdity of the world around me. Climate change, species extinction, wars, famines… Is it really useful to try to fight, armed only with pencils and colors?
I am fortunate to live in Annecy, a small French town surrounded by a sublime landscape nestled in the Alps. When I am overwhelmed by these anxieties, the feeling of being overwhelmed by a world that is moving too fast, I sit by the lake and gaze at the mountains. There is something reassuring in this immobile scenery. They were there long before me and will remain long after me. The world is beautiful, but we too often forget how to look at it.
Artistic Concept
Through the images I propose for the AIF 2025 poster, I do not seek to represent or re-enchant the world, but I invite the viewer to look at it differently and to participate in its collective re-enchantment. The idea guiding my three proposals is as follows: sometimes it is enough to pause for a moment, to come a little closer to rediscover the wonders of the world.
To serve this idea in each image, inspired by the spirit of Sempé, the human figure is tiny and the surrounding world is immense, almost overwhelming. Like a poetic comma in their daily life, their gaze pauses for a moment on a detail.
Technique
By breaking free from the codes of the classic poster, I aim to engage the viewer by encouraging them to be active rather than passive in front of the poster they are looking at. The principle of this poster is based on an association of images, which invites the viewer to construct their own narrative between these images.
At a time when digital tools are becoming increasingly proficient at imitating pencils and brushes, cut paper appears to me as one of the best mediums to highlight traditional and ancient animation techniques. The slightly textured paper will be used in semi-volume: with the help of small pieces of foam board, I will raise certain parts of the scenery to create small intertwined shadows.
Moreover, paper is often associated with a childlike, playful, and colorful universe. The idea here is to use paper in a more adult proposal and a more realistic style.