Nobel Prize winner Annie Ernaux has written an exclusive piece for the second edition of ‚Cinécourt‘, the short film competition organised by the International Francophonie Centre at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) to promote the French language and careers in the audiovisual sector.
Whilst in its first edition the competition asked participants to create a short animated film, documentary or drama in French based on an original text by the Moroccan writer Abdelá Taia, who was exiled to Paris due to his homosexuality and activism, this year it has taken a significant step forward with Annie Ernaux.
Born 86 years ago in Lillebonne (France) and with a body of work that is largely autobiographical, Ernaux is the most recent Nobel Laureate from the French-speaking world, whom the Swedish Academy honoured in 2022 for «the courage and clinical insight with which she uncovers the roots, the estrangements and the collective obstacles of personal memory».
Cinécourt: Translator brings Ernaux's unpublished text to life
As Victoria Trujillo, director of the Francophonie Centre, explained to EFE, as luck would have it, Abdelá Taia shares the same Spanish translator as Annie Ernaux: Lydia Vázquez, Professor of French Philology at the University of the Basque Country.
She has served as the link between the two editions and has made possible a rare achievement: that a newly established competition should receive the support of a Nobel laureate, who has agreed to provide it with an unpublished text.
«We’ve set the bar very high. I don’t know what we’re going to do in future editions. We’ll think of something,» jokes Trujillo.
'La récréation' provides the basis for French short films
The text is entitled ‚La récréation‘ (‚Break Time‘), is just 550 words long and begins as follows, in Spanish: «Winter 1947-1948. I am seven years old. It’s break time. The girls are running about, playing tag. I’m walking on my own. Françoise Cahard comes running up to me. She asks me if I’ve got a handkerchief. Or if I can lend her mine.»
The full original text, in French, can be found on the competition’s website: https://auladelafrancofonia.wixsite.com/cinecourts
Based on this text by Ernaux, participants must create a short film using the technique of their choice, in French and lasting between three and five minutes. The deadline for registration is 15 November, and the competition is open to secondary school and sixth-form students, university students, and pupils at Official Language Schools or the various Alliance Française centres.
ULPGC combines French lessons with the audiovisual industry
Victoria Trujillo explains that this competition was launched as yet another example of the activities organised each year by the ULPGC to promote an understanding of the French language and Francophone cultures.
The members of the teaching team felt it might be interesting to build a bridge between students of French and an increasingly thriving sector in the Canary Islands, the audiovisual sector, as this would encourage the creation of content in French and, at the same time, give pupils the opportunity to discover a career path related to the visual arts.
This year, they are also offering participants masterclasses and guidance on literature, screenwriting and audiovisual creation, which can provide them with support before they make their short films.
The event is organised in collaboration with the French Embassy, the Government of the Canary Islands, the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival and the Atlantis animation studio.
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