SEPTEMBER SAYS © Sackville Film and Television Productions Limited - MFP GmbH - CryBaby Limited - British Broadcasting Corporation ZDFarte 2024
September Says, the vision of Ariane Labed
We know her as an actress in films by Yórgos Lánthimos, Guy Maddin and Richard Linklater , however it’s as a director of her first feature film that Ariane Labed returns to the Croisette, as part of Un Certain Regard. September Says, a debut film with surrealist undertones, examines love and resentment between young sisters July and September, and their mother Sheela.
“The supernatural can be present in normal life”
– Ariane Labed
What sparked off this project?
September Says started when I came across Sisters by Daisy Johnson. The book, described as gothic, seemed a real opportunity for me to explore how much the supernatural can be present in normal life. A chance to push filial love to its very limits, with all the tenderness and toxicity that entails.
What was the atmosphere like on the shoot?
This was my first feature film as a director, but I am very familiar with film sets, having been around them a lot as an actress. I also know to what extent shoots can be a chance for certain people to exert their dominance. So I was really keen for the set to be a caring and happy space, and the overwhelming mood was playful. It was five weeks of intense joy for me, and I hope all my colleagues can say the same.
What can you tell us about your actors?
Mia Tharia, Pascale Kann and Rakhee Thakrar are at the heart of the film. They are all very different from one another, but they share great emotional availability and incredible generosity. They agreed to seek and lose themselves with me. Their performances are absolutely unique in their sensitivity, power and intensity. I can never thank them enough for trusting me.
What did you learn during the course of making this film?
That there is more than one way to make films.
When did you first think about going behind the camera? What are your influences as a director?
I wanted to become a director on the set of my first film: Attenberg by Athina Rachel Tsangari. I have a profound love for the acting profession, but I always cherished the hope of becoming a director. So my first influence was that first film that I love so much, but the director who remains an absolute touchstone for me is Chantal Akerman.
