In competition at Cannes last May, aftersun, Charlotte Wells' first feature film sold internationally by Charades, was rewarded by the French Touch Prize awarded by the official Critics' Week jury. The Scottish director talks about the process of creating her film. The interview was conducted in English and the filmmaker's remarks were translated into French.  

La French Touch: You won the French Touch Prize at Cannes last May, what does that mean to you?  

CW: This is a huge honor, I was very surprised. Receive the French Touch Award at the end of the Cannes festival was very special for me, it was a very special evening and moment. I am incredibly grateful.  

LFT: By winning this prize, you also win 8000 euros, what do you intend to do with this sum?  

CW: This will give me the privilege of taking a little break after Cannes, to take the time to think about my next project. Thanks to the French Touch Prize, I will be able to calmly think about my next film, without haste.  

LFT: Do you know what kind of film you want to make in the future? Would you rather adapt a book for the big screen or produce an original screenplay?  

CW: I'm open to both possibilities. I really like the idea of ​​adapting a book, the challenge it can be to adapt someone else's work. I think my next film will be an original work, but if in the meantime I am inspired by a book, I would be ready to change my plans. I'm curious to find out if it's easier or harder.  

“Writing is always the longest and most winding part of the creative process” 

LFT: How long did you spend creating your film Aftersun ?  

CW: It was in 2015 that the idea for the film came to me. On the one hand I feel like this is a lifetime or at least a significant portion of my life, but on the other hand the writing process only really started in 2019. The writing is the longest and most winding part of the creative process.  

LFT: Why do you consider this to be the most complicated part?  

CW: The writing process is not as easy as it looks, you're not just writing on a computer, the main thing is in your head: you think a lot and it's exhausting. This requires a lot of discipline, you have to know how to sit for a long time. I think that's the hardest part, but it's also a lot of fun when you see something appear on the pages that you hadn't thought of, and you let your imagination take you by surprise. 

LFT: Conversely, what part of the creative process do you prefer?  

CW: Production and preparation. The week leading up to production is always great because that's when you start to feel the camaraderie. These are collaborative steps, each one transforms my vision of the film and makes it better. I attach great importance to the relationship I have with my director of photography, we are very good friends, we studied at the same film school. I think back to the weeks of production when we were talking about the visuals for the film and how we were going to shoot them, those were the most satisfying moments during production. We had conversations around how to tell the story visually without going through dialogue, just using the camera to communicate a feeling or point of view.  

“The actors are those who bring the script to life” 

LFT: In the future, do you want to work with specific actors?  

 CW: There are a lot of actors whose work I admire. For me, it all starts with the story and the rest follows, it's an interesting process. For Aftersun, we had two very different actors: Frankie Corio, a young girl whom we discovered on more than a hundred children and Paul Mescal who has already built a solid reputation in the industry. I like the combination of a very inexperienced person in front of a camera and one with more experience, we see them learning from each other. I'm also interested in working with two adult and professional actors, I think it would be a very different situation since the actors are the ones who bring the script to life.  

LFT: Which films influenced you in the creation of Aftersun ? Are there any french movies among them ?   

CW: There are several! At the very beginning of the process, I remember thinking about Tomboy by Celine Sciamma, in Somewhere by Sofia Coppola, and to Alice in the cities by Wim Wenders. During the creation of the film, I watched a lot of different feature films, my viewing time became exponential and they also started to have an influence on my work. France is full of many acclaimed and impressive directors, who have had an impact on me as a director and an artist. Tomboy is one example. I also love Nenette and Boni by Claire Denis.  

“I feel very lucky since my film will be viewed in several countries around the world” 

LFT: Financing a first film is not always easy, did you encounter any difficulties in financing yours?  

CW: I have a lucky star because in Britain there are public funding bodies who support young artists. My producer had just previously worked on a project in collaboration with the BBC, so they were the first partners in the project. Then the BFI (British Film Institute) was the film's second partner. I was very lucky to have these two supports.  

LFT: Do you know when the film will be released around the world?  

CW: Not yet! We are in the process of planning this with distributors. We have already sold the distribution rights to several countries: in the United Kingdom, in several European countries and in North America. I feel very lucky since my film will be viewed in several countries around the world. It's a story that speaks to everyone and I'm intrigued by how the story will be perceived by everyone.