I met Absis in 2021. I was one of two employees of Collectif Jeune Cinéma, the oldest filmmakers' cooperative in France. That year, the Collectif was celebrating its 50th anniversary. The aim was to shed light on the layers of the CJC's complex history within the broader history of experimental cinema in France.
I knew that Marguerite Duras was present at the creation of the CJC. But were there any other female filmmakers at the time?
I had underlined Absis' name as a lead to look into: she'd made two short films Cygne I and Cygne II – or one, in two parts – in 1976, which were screened at the Toulon Festival (when the CJC was founded). With the help of the Internet, I tracked down Absis; we called each other, we became friendly. She invited me to pick up the only two 35mm prints of the film at her home, and I discovered a past friendship, forged with Marguerite Duras in the 70s. At the time, films were made in this context: Marguerite Duras and Michael Lonsdale read Absis's texts, Bruno Nuytten directed the image and Absis herself acted and directed.
This program brings together Cygne I and Cygne II with L'Homme atlantique, a film by Marguerite Duras that marks a turning point in her work and the beginning of the 80s. The program pays tribute to the women who played a part in the history of French experimental cinema.

(Judit Naranjo Ribó)


Thanks to Collectif Jeune Cinéma (Tomaž Burlin and Alma-Lïa Masson-Lacroix) for providing the analogue prints for this program. Program curated by Judit Naranjo Ribó, with introduction before the films.