“It’s Really About Intersectionality”

There are only a handful of Black filmmakers currently working in France, and fewer who can claim that they have had long and successful careers. Unlike their Maghrebi counterparts, many of whom are now household names in the French film industry, the careers of Black filmmakers in France tend to be either short-lived or sporadic. With several critically acclaimed, Black-directed French films released in the past five years (Atlantics, Saint Omer, and Les Misérables, to name a few), now is an opportune time to examine the possible reasons for this state of affairs. This interview with French documentary filmmaker Amandine Gay sheds light on the exclusivity of the French industry, the effects of French universalism, and the importance of seeing discrimination through the lens of intersectionality.