It’s not his first FIFO, far from it… Emmanuel Kasarhérou is participating in his fourth festival, three of which as a member of the jury. This year, the president of the Quai Branly museum takes on the role of jury president. A meeting.
You are the first president of the Oceanic Jury since 2014, how do you approach this role?
With a lot of humility. To be President of the jury It’s a responsibility and at the same time we feel so comfortable in the FIFO that we feel like we’re at home. I also notice that a very large majority of the jury are oceanian people with very different backgrounds. What interests me is to see how we’re going to work with the jury. These moments of sharing gradually weave something common into people who have very varied lives, perceptions and stories. It’s these moments of encounter that are important because we confront. We’ll see what that brings about in terms of feelings.
It is a 100% Oceanic jury, but it is also composed mostly of women….
I’ll find myself in the minority (laughs), but I find it interesting. I try not to have any preconceived notions; what interests me is having people with different sensibilities. We’ll see if having a majority of women will lead to certain types of films, themes, or ways of approaching things… It’s quite exciting, actually.
Last year the FIFO was done entirely digitally; this year it’s hybrid….
It’s very impressive of the organization to keep the festival going against all odds, but also to innovate by using new technologies to exist in a different way. I applaud the teams for managing to organize the festival despite everything, hats off! What I also find really good about COVID is that FIFO has largely become decentralized. This allows more people in New Caledonia, for example, to enjoy this event that doesn’t exist there. And therefore to have access to this wealth of ocean production as well. This is a new dimension that is really important.
The link between the Quai Branly and the FIFO is not new. Stéphane Martin, the former president of the Quai Branly, was also a member of the jury. Now it’s your turn. Is this link being perpetuated?
Yes, because the Quai Branly is made up of four continents, including Oceania. The FIFO approach allows for a vision of today with an oceanic expression. It is important for the Quai Branly to be present on the jury, and it is a great responsibility, but also to be invited because it allows you to always have an eye on the region and nurture this strong relationship. The Quai Branly welcomes the FIFO outside the walls, For a Parisian audience, it is important to see Oceania in a different way than through engravings from the 19th century or ancient objects. But also to see that it is a humanity that is alive and that addresses the issues with a form of uniqueness that is unique to it.
What will make a documentary particularly move you or strike a chord with you?
It can be the theme, the way it is treated; it can also be its form. It is a relationship of content and context, the way of showing and telling, the way of feeling… I also like when things are suggested and not necessarily demonstrated; when you manage to make the conclusions come across through the viewer’s eyes and you don’t have to express them; I find that even stronger. But I am quite eclectic and curious about various things, such as less technically accomplished films where there is an expression, a message, something powerful that is being said. The strength of FIFO is also in being able to bring together films that come from large regions like Australia, New Zealand or Hawaii, with production structures and training, with more modest productions from islands that don’t have access to all this infrastructure but that tell something and say something powerful.
Article written by Sulianne Favennec
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