The Finnish Tampere Film Festival, specifically for international short films, was held from March 8th to 12th. The international jury awarded the Grand Prix to Granny’s Sexual Life, a Franco-Slovenian short animated documentary. Directors Urška Djukic and Émilie Pigeard were given the “Kiss” statuette and €5,000.
The film opens with four elderly women reflecting on their memories and the differences in the relations between men and women now, compared to when they were young. Their voices merge into one, Grandmother Vera’s, who tells her story in detail. A journey into the grandmother’s youth and the memories of her intimate life illustrate the status of Slovenian women in the first half of the 20th century.
Granny’s Sexual Life is an animated documentary written and directed by Slovenian Urška Djukić. Her story-line was inspired by Milena Miklavcic’s book, Fire, Ass and Snakes are Not Toys, a collection of testimonies of women who grew up during the first half of the 20th century. They tell how orgasm was considered a sin and therefore forbidden. Ms. Djukić saw the work of French animator Émilie Pigeard at a festival and realised her style, close to a child’s drawing, would be right for showing “these women’s painful memories”. The jury at Tempere were impressed both by the story and the “strong and symbolic imagery”.
The film is a Slovenian and French co-production and received support from the Centre-Val de Loire region (CICLIC), the Slovenian Film Centre, the CNC-FSA and Arte.
Sources : Cineuropa, Tampere Film Festival, Ikki Films, Arte
