Mathilde Zampieri, director, photographer and former windsurfing champion returns to French Polynesia to present her new film “Ma rue” (“My Street”) alongside Elia Merlot, director, screenwriter and actress. A co-production that gave life to a documentary film that highlights a subject still far too fragile in Polynesian society.
Elia is always late, Mathilde patiently waits for her. It is a duo of shock, love and passion: when Ra’iatea meets Ivry-sur-Seine, it is the land and the sea that unite to create more than images, messages.
Elia Merlot, blonde with curly hair, has been dreaming since her early childhood. As a child, her overflowing imagination never stops creating. She begins her first shows in her living room, in front of a loyal audience: her parents. She started acting at a very young age before becoming interested in her father’s camcorder to make her first short films. It is at this moment that the doors of ‘cinema’ open to her.
Mathilde Zampieri, brunette, is in love with blue. She knows an atypical path starting in the world of windsurfing. Champion of this sport, she ranks third at the world juniors in 2016 and 2017, but it is the Covid-19 period that brings her back to earth. She changes her career path and falls in love with photography and cinema.
The solar eclipse: when the moon and the sun meet.
They dream of creating and living from their passion, what captivates them is the energy and ‘vibe’ they share. Without a word, they chose each other. Moreover, it is this energy that brought them closer, since the day when Mathilde defended Elia during a pitch session at the Kourtrajmé school, a film school located in the heart of the city of La Bosquets in Montfermeil (93).
Together, they are powerful and their collaboration gives life to striking messages and a strong representation of the woman. “Arène”, is their first co-creation, on the theme of menstrual disorders (Elia suffers from painful periods and Mathilde from endometriosis). During their training, Elia wanted to make a film with Mathilde and as a sign of destiny, a short-film competition with the theme ‘women in sport’ arrived: an opportunity for them to create together. Their assets complement each other: Elia is an actress and she handles words with ease; Mathilde, for her part, focuses on the technical aspect. One will take care of directing actors as well as writing, the other of photography and production.
According to Mathilde, “art is political and is a mean to defend causes”. The themes they support are subjects that they know since they have lived them. They share the same intentions: between suburbia, solidarity, the cause of women and human stories, they highlight values that carry them.
Elia is bright and Mathilde more reserved, when the moon and the sun meet, it’s obvious. They share the same values and give life to cinematographic works that correspond to them; an impressive duo both by their background and by their young age.
Pay tribute to women
Mathilde, born to a father with Italian origins and a French mother, finds her roots in French Polynesia, Ra’iatea, where she grew up.
Always attached to the blue of the sea, her best memories of Polynesia are the days on a boat with her family in the lagoon of his island. This year she is returning to the Fenua to present her film at FIFO, a festival she has known since she was little: «I hope that Polynesia will be proud of my film, it’s my main goal.» Their film “Ma rue” is a portrait of a woman, deeply rooted in contemporary Polynesia, it echoes local narratives and Mathilde’s commitment to paying tribute to strong women, she draws inspiration from her grandmother whom she admires for her life journey, her determination, and the love she was able to convey.
“Eating raw fish with coconut milk obviously!”
For Elia, Polynesia is a cultural discovery… As a child from the Parisian suburbs, she grew up in a setting of social and cultural diversity. It is with great gratitude that she talks about her childhood. It is what built her, opened her mind and, according to her, “it is the best way to start life.” In truth, ‘Swiss army knife,’ she juggles a life as an actress, screenwriter, and director with the watchword ‘never get bored.’ With great humility, she directed ‘Ma rue’ alongside Mathilde, leaving aside her metropolitan gaze and giving way to the voice of Marama (the protagonist of the film). Her free soul allowed her to let her speak “her gaze as a woman on another woman’s life.”
After having walked the streets of Papeete for 3 years, it is with pride that they will present ‘Ma rue’, a documentary in competition at the 23rd edition of the FIFO. They rank the youngest directors in the competition and present the only film highlighting French Polynesia.
Their biggest hurry is to meet the school students!
Ma rue
In Papeete, Marama, 38 years old, bears the marks of a handicap and a life spent on the street since adolescence. Between trials, motherhood and addictions, she nevertheless advances while keeping her smile. Today engaged in an integration journey, she remains attached to ‘her street’, questioning the possibility, and the meaning, of truly leaving it.
Jenny Hunter – FIFO TAHITI
Vaikehu Shan – FIFO TAHITI
French