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Portraits of resistance — an ebook on Céline Sciamma

“Erudite and casual, Portraits of Resistance will force readers into…running back to watch every Sciamma film to see what they missed.” – Alfred Soto, Film Critic

“An easily accessible guide to thinking on Sciamma’s [first] four feature-length films.” – Andrew Kendall, Starbroek News

“A cornerstone for future Sciamma scholarship.” – Shelagh Rowan-Legg, Screen Anarchy

Buy the ebook now

You will receive the ebook as both a PDF and ePub. The book is not currently available as a print book.

WATCH A SHORT VIDEO INTRODUCING SCIAMMA’S FILMS
Page 28 mug + Portraits of resistance ebook

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‘Ne regrettez pas, souvenez vous’, Céline Sciamma

Remember the highs of the whirlwind romance in Portrait of a Lady on Fire every morning as you sip your tea or coffee.

This 11 oz. ceramic mug is dishwasher and microwave safe. Original designs by Jade Duncan Knight.

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Why we wrote the book

About Céline Sciamma and POrtrait of a lady on fire

Seventh Row recently named Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire as one of the top 10 films of the 2010s; her earlier film, Tomboy, also appeared on our list of the 50 best films of the decade. The two leads of Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Adèle Haenel and Noémie Merlant, also made our list of the 50 best performances of the decade.

Return to 18th-century Brittany for a romance for the ages with the first ever book to be written about French filmmaker Céline Sciamma, her process, her body of work, and Portrait of a Lady on Fire.

Published in 2020, this is the first book-length study of Céline Sciamma’s films, and the only non-academic book.

Portraits of resistance is an essential companion to Portrait of a Lady on Fire and the essential guide to Céline Sciamma. Portraits of resistance contains interviews with the cast and crew, as well as essays on the film and Céline Sciamma’s career. This was also the first book ever published to be dedicated entirely to Sciamma’s work! She’s been making amazing films for over a decade now, so we’re proud to honour her work in this way.

In the book, we explore how, in Céline Sciamma’s films, social outcasts take centre stage. Their gaze is centred as they learn to be themselves through interacting with nature (much of Tomboy takes place outside; the ocean is the backdrop to the story in Portrait), inhabiting women’s spaces (the changing rooms in Water Lilies; hotel rooms and bedrooms in Girlhood), and making connections with people who understand and accept them (the best friends in Water Lilies; Laure’s/Mickäel’s relationship with their younger sister in Tomboy; Girlhood’s girl gang; the romance between painter and subject in Portrait). Yet even these safe spaces cannot hold forever against the weight of societal prejudices and injustices.

The book Portraits of resistance, contains interviews with Céline Sciamma, Portrait of a Lady on Fire actresses Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel, as well as Sciamma’s sound editor. On top of that, essays from EIC Alex Heeney, Executive Editor Orla Smith, Associate Editor Brett Pardy, and writers Lena Wilson, Ben Flanagan, and Angelo Muredda will delve into what makes Sciamma’s films so special. Read entire chapters on Water Lilies (2007), Tomboy (2011), and Girlhood (2014), plus several essays on Portrait, focusing on its exploration of the gaze of the two central lovers.

Buy the ebook now

An overview of the book Portraits of resistance: The cinema of Céline Sciamma

The PDF is 132 pages long.

  • FOREWORD by Orla Smith
  • PART 1: AN INTRODUCTION TO CÉLINE SCIAMMA with an introduction by Orla Smith
  • 1. Who is Céline Sciamma? by Brett Pardy
  • 2. Céline Sciamma’s 10 best scenes by Alex Heeney and Orla Smith
  • PART 2: CÉLINE SCIAMMA IN CONTEXT with an introduction by Orla Smith
  • 3. Water Lilies’ women in the shadow of patriarchy by Ben Flanagan4
  • 4. The nature of gender non-conformity in Tomboy by Lena Wilson
  • 5. Céline Sciamma on Girlhood by Alex Heeney
  • 6. Choreographing intimacy and isolation in Girlhood by Orla Smith
  • 7. Finding temporary utopias in an unjust world by Alex Heeney
  • PART 3: PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE IN DEPTH with an introduction by Alex Heeney
  • 8. Céline Sciamma on Portrait of a Lady on Fire by Alex Heeney
  • 9. An interview with sound editor Valérie Deloof by Alex Heeney
  • 10. Unlearning the male gaze by Angelo Muredda
  • 11. Adèle Haenel is an object of desire who looks back by Orla Smith
  • PART 4: ACTING IN PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE with an introduction by Alex Heeney
  • 12. An interview with Noémie Merlant by Orla Smith
  • 13. An interview with Adèle Haenel by Alex Heeney

Listen to the book’s editors discuss what’s inside

What critics are saying about Portraits of resistance

Erudite and casual

Fascinated by the ways in which women across continents and centuries create spaces of intimacy, Céline Sciamma stands as one of contemporary film’s most necessary directors.

Alex Heeney and Orla Smith have assembled a collection that does justice to the range of Sciamma’s interests, talents, and achievements.

Erudite and casual, Portraits of Resistance will force readers into an essential task: running back to watch every Sciamma film to see what they missed.
Alfred Soto
Film Critic

An easily accessible guide to thinking on Sciamma’s films

An easily accessible guide to thinking on Sciamma’s four feature-length films…

Portraits of resistance is an empathetic assessment of a beloved filmmaker as Seventh Row offers a tender assessment of Sciamma’s work that’s marked by their respect and appreciation for her meticulous craft.

Portraits of resistance is a welcome and thoughtful first-entry on this critical director.”
Andrew Kendall
Film Critic, Stabroek News

A cornerstone for future Sciamma scholarship

Portraits of Resistance covers enormous ground, reading Sciamma’s work as queer cinema, women’s cinema, European cinema, looking at the both the stories and the aesthetics, and how Sciamma has already created distinct and unique films with a singular voice.

Not only is it a great introduction for any who want to learn more about the filmmaker, it will be a cornerstone for any future Sciamma scholarship.
Shelagh Rowan-Legg
Editor, Screen Anarchy

How to buy Portraits of resistance, a book (PDF and ePub) about Céline Sciamma

Snag our ebook, and become an expert on Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Céline Sciamma’s filmmaking process.

The ebook is available as an ePub and PDF, which are readable on all tablets, smart phones, and eReaders.

Buy the ebook now
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