Filmmaker Yolaine Lacolonge premiered her debut documentary "Camera Obscura, La fabrique du nous" (Camera Obscura, The Making of Us) at Cinema Laetitia in Ajaccio on Wednesday, October 1st. The film examines the perspectives of three Corsican directors who portray contemporary Corsica through their work: Thierry de Peretti, Julien Colonna, and Frédéric Farrucci. The documentary explores the power of images and cinema's role in society through their unique artistic visions.
The three films that captured Lacolonge's attention - "À son image" (In His Image) by Thierry de Peretti, "Le Royaume" (The Kingdom) by Julien Colonna, and "Le Mohican" (The Mohican) by Frédéric Farrucci - all made significant impacts in Corsica during 2024. What particularly intrigued the 56-year-old filmmaker was the remarkable coincidence that all three movies were filmed simultaneously on the island. "When I realized these three films were going to be shot at the same time - which wasn't necessarily planned from the start - I had the intuition that something unprecedented was happening," Lacolonge explained in an interview.
This "planetary alignment," as she describes it, seemed extraordinary for an island of 350,000 inhabitants. The three feature films were shot on neighboring locations, with some technicians and extras moving from one production to another. "When you know what it represents to make a feature film, it's quite an incredible convergence," she noted. This unique timing became the starting point for her documentary project, sparking her desire to capture and narrate this exceptional moment in Corsican cinema.
The documentary employs a meta-cinematic approach, filming filmmakers in the process of creating their art. Lacolonge's interest lay in understanding what these cinematographers were conveying about their homeland. "They have three different universes, but all three speak about contemporary Corsica," she observed. Notably, all three films feature female protagonists for the first time since "Colomba," marking a significant departure from the traditionally masculine representation of Corsica in cinema.
Rather than interpreting these choices herself, Lacolonge chose to let the filmmakers speak for themselves. "My role was to give voice to these cinematographers, in a more in-depth way than what can be done during promotion, so that they each present their film," she explained. Her approach focused on allowing them to discuss their work while capturing the filming moments and audience reactions to explore what this reveals about Corsica and how it's perceived by both participants and viewers.
The documentary raises important questions about cinema's function in society. All three films address organized crime in Corsica in their own ways, and some members of anti-mafia collectives had raised concerns about potential glorification of violence. When asked about this controversy, Lacolonge maintained that these discussions are addressed within her film, emphasizing that "cinema is cinema" - representing an artist's desire and viewpoint that should be respected.
"Camera Obscura, La fabrique du nous" was produced by Mouvement, in co-production with Télé Paese and in partnership with France 3 Corse ViaStella. Following its premiere during the Passion Cinema festival, the documentary will be screened on Sunday, October 5th at 3 PM at Spaziu Carlu-Rocchi in Biguglia for Arte Mare, and on October 28th in Prunelli-di-Fiumorbo.
As a debut filmmaker at 56, Lacolonge describes herself as an "old young director" who approaches her new career with humility while pursuing other projects. She emphasized that her documentary doesn't aim to provide definitive answers but rather to open discussions and debates about cinema and Corsican identity. "It's a small window, a space over a given time that, I hope, will give food for thought about what cinema can be, what it can bring or not," she concluded, expressing gratitude to the three filmmakers who made her directorial dream possible.
