66 Quotes by Céline Sciamma

When I turned 13 all of my life was designed around earning money to buy cinema tickets.

To me synchronised swimming is a metaphor for the job of being a girl. They have to fake their smiles, they're made up like dolls and they can't show the effort they're making, yet under the surface of the water it's a struggle and a sacrifice.

I filmed 'Water Lilies' in Cergy-Pointoise, a middle-class suburb about 20 km outside Paris. It's where I grew up and where Eric Rohmer filmed 'My Girlfriend's Boyfriend' in 1986.

I wanted the ending of 'Water Lilies' to be open, so that everyone can have their point of view about what will happen to the girls.

Well, I think I'm trying to be in the middle of two traditions, the French tradition, which is about being fair and staying close to reality, and the American tradition which is about making up a stylized universe, made of shapes and colors.

Well, regarding actors, my idol is Catherine Deneuve, but not in relation to my work, I'm just a fan. As far as genres, I've been reading a lot of science fiction, and I would love to make a fantastic film.

Thinking about making a love story without music was really frightening, Sciamma admitted. Because every love story we know, we think about 'Titanic' we think about the music, we think about 'Gone with the Wind' we think about the music, we think about 'E.T.' we think about the music, and every love story has its own tune, 'That's our song.'

As a screenwriter, you're always being told: a good scene is one where somebody wants something, the other one doesn't want to give it.

We all have to deconstruct the looks in ourselves. It's easier if you see different cultures and different imagery than just the pure straight male gaze and that you're aware that images are political. Not everybody is.