Jeju French Film Festival 2018 - Résonances
Female divers of Jeju Island, Korea, and goatherds of Pyrenees, France. Two worlds so radically opposed. They are old, their craft is disappearing. But they are alive, and somehow connected.
Interview with Director Jean-Julien Pous
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Living creatures have their own limits within their body, which ensures that they fit in their ecosystem. With industrial agriculture that is solely profit-oriented, while blatantly ignoring the well-being of the environment. Since well-being doesn't turn into profit, it seems that we, as animals, lose our limits and are driving all ecosystems to a dead-end that will eventually lead to our own extinction.
Oddly enough, in an overwhelmingly capitalistic world, some farmers seem not to care about profit beyond living reasonably well. They take their own body as the limits to their activity, and they cherish the animals they work with. They know each one of them by name, treat them as their children. The female divers fish only what their hands and small individual nets can take. In a day they would catch a few octopuses and shells. Compare that to fishing trawlers that dig the bottom of the ocean with giant nets, leaving behind tons of dead by-catches.
Those persons for me stand out as wise as gods, with self-limitation and care, amidst a world of hell and chaos with no ethics whatsoever. Their lives are difficult, but they made this choice, and they come back to their work every single day. For me, they are examples of how to live a life for the greater good. Unfortunately their ways of working and traditions are disappearing, as nobody wants to take over such a hard life of abnegation, frugality and harassing labour. I think they deserve to be heard and seen. I felt so good among them. I didn't have specific expectations about how their world will look like. But I remember this morning, when I entered the barn and saw this woman milking a goat on the straw, the light shining through… For me, that isn't religious, but I was repeatedly struck by how what was happening in front of me was visually looking like religious scenes. I could see raw honesty and so much more spirituality in their lives than all the bigotry people wrap themselves in when going to church or wearing a cross. I was so moved to be accepted – even for such a short time – in their intimacy, in their lives. I was like a child, silent, standing in a corner with my camera and trying to capture the essence of their lives.
I think that I was also confronted with the dilemma to mostly have made films that are visually-rich and introspective. I wanted to make committed films. I wanted to make feminist films, and this might be a shy first attempt at it. I'm saying shy because it might not really show, but showing mostly mid-aged to old women seems rare in films in general. I also aim to show the strong characters that they are, indeed, strong.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
This film is for an active audience that will try and see, with split-screens, on which level that two lives, which seemingly have nothing in common, resonate and echo with each other more that one could expect. You should watch this film with an open mind, as I want to bring you with me to both of these places, in the intimacy of these farmers’ lives, see how beautiful their smiles are, their tears, their hands carved by harsh labour and their wrinkles, their animals and gestures. I want to bring you with me while letting you free to think and wander around as well.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Like in most films I presume, focusing on a very personal situation leads to more universal afterthoughts. Some moments of the film are more visual, so they appeal to more archetypal reactions within the audience.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The film was initially conceived and shot for a very short video installation in an art gallery. Seeing the material I had and the richness of the visual worlds I had captured, I wanted to work on it on a longer form. The basic idea was to juxtapose side by side these two types of lives and places. It was first released as a one-hour long film with live music, and was shortened its final form.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
I went back to both villages to give in person the finished film to the farmers and haenyeos I have met. They were both very surprised and happy to see me. I organized a projection in the small Pyrenees village. Everyone came, even from other surrounding villages, to the small city hall to see the film. It was quite a moving moment. One of the haenyeo gathered her friends in her house and also made a private projection. Some people were very moved by different moments and words in the film. I think they enjoyed the split screen and took an active part in watching the film this way. I didn't expect such a reaction, nor that what I had intended for the audience really work. When we organized several live-music projections, the mood in the theaters was like a concert each time, giving a special communion with the audience. It was positive.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I was surprised to see some people moved to tears. I think that while making the film, the feedback of those who saw the editing that took over a year to reach its final form was hard to handle. It's a fine line to listen to others' feedback while keeping your gut instinct about what you're trying to achieve, but that might be convincing only when it’s totally completed. Sometimes I had to fight hard against some of the feedback I received while shooting and editing. I wish to receive more feedback from the audience, hopefully through your platform.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
To make it reach the unique audience of wearemovingstories, and to gather more international opinions.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I didn't follow a wise strategy with festival submissions. Now only a distributor could actually give it a life.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I wish it could open some minds to non-standard narratives. I wish that some people will like this film enough to help me make more.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Some vegans would like to see the whole world stop consuming animals, which would lead to their extinction, as we solely raise them in order to eat them or their milk in this case. Could the real goal be rather to refuse the industrial meat, and see how humans can live along with animals they raise to eat with respect for them and the fragile ecosystem we live in?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I wrote a short fiction film based on the haenyeo's lives and beliefs, that was to be made as a blend of animation and live-action. I shot materials for two short documentaries. One is about a man and his daughter revisiting a house abandoned by the family in the countryside of Korea. The other are a series of poignant interviews on the struggles of single mothers in Korea. I believe that all these projects would only see the light of the day with the vital help of a producer, which I'm still looking for right now.
Interview: November 2018
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Résonances
Female divers of Jeju Island, Korea, and goatherds of Pyrenees, France. Two worlds so radically opposed. They are old, their craft is disappearing. But they are alive, and somehow connected.
Length: 29mn
Director: Jean-Julien Pous
About the writer, director and producer:
JEAN-JULIEN POUS is the writer, director and co-producer. The other co-producer is Seo Jeong Hee.
Key cast: Ryu Mee-Hyeon, Kang Suk-Ja, Kang Moo-Ok, Kong Gyeon-Ja, Ko Song-Han, Kim Chun-Ja, Catherine Gageot, Patrice Carré
Looking for: distributors
Funders: Gyeongi Cultural Fundation
Made in association with: Gyeongi Cultural Fundation
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Through this link.