“Working Girls” by Anne Paulicevich and Frédéric Fonteyne: screening and meeting

Monday 6 March, 7pm
Screening in French with English subtitles
In the presence of the directors
Duration of the film: 90 minutes
Michel Piccoli cinema room, Villa Medici

The screening will be followed by a dialogue in French between the film team and the audience, moderated by Marion Grébert, fellow at Villa Medici.

Free event, reservation required
No entry will be allowed after 7.15pm.

➝ SOLD OUT

Not recommended for under 16s.

Please consider cancelling your booking if you no longer wish to attend, in order to give others the opportunity to participate in the event.

There is no registration or broadcasting of this event.

“This is what the power of fiction is: to tell the real while displacing it, even going beyond it, in order to be able to talk about it better” Anne Paulicevich

Working Girls is a film released in 2020 that deals with “the heroism of women“, in the words of the screenwriter and artistic director. After several months of immersion in the world of prostitution, Anne Paulicevich wrote Working Girls, which marks her directorial debut alongside Frédéric Fonteyne.

This film tells the story of Axelle, Dominique and Conso, and their double life once they cross the border, when they become Athena, Circe and Hera in their whorehouse. It depicts their personal struggle and the birth of their solidarity when faced with adversity. Political and committed, this film questions the geographical, social and emotional borders linked to the complex issue of prostitution, and highlights the daily life of a forgotten minority.

Working Girls premiered at the Rotterdam International Film Festival and after travelling to several other festivals, was chosen to represent Belgium at the 93rd Academy Awards in 2020.

This screening will be held as part of the residency of the director duo Anne Paulicevich and Frédéric Fonteyne at Villa Medici. They are currently preparing their next feature film A Man Of The World, which will be shot in Rome and Florence. Anne Paulicevich and Frédéric Fonteyne will stay twice at Villa Medici, from 23 to 30 January and from 6 to 12 March.

Anne Paulicevich and Frédéric Fonteyne

Anne Paulicevich is a Belgian director, actress and screenwriter who studied at INSAS, the Belgian film and theatre school. For many years she performed in international theatre and dance companies. In 2007, she started writing.  Her first screenplay Tango Libre (2012) won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival and the Grand Prize at the Warsaw Film Festival, as well as several international awards for best screenplay.

Frédéric Fonteyne is a Belgian director. He studied film at the IAD, the Institute for the Diffusion Arts near Brussels. He gained international recognition with his second feature film, Une Liaison Pornographique (An Affair of Love), which was selected for the official competition at the Venice Film Festival, where Nathalie Baye was awarded the Volpi Cup for best actress.  Frédéric Fonteyne then directed La Femme de Gilles and Tango Libre, which were also selected and awarded at the Venice Film Festival, as well as at several other festivals.

Credits :
© Photogram, Working Girls, 2020, Anne Paulicevich and Frédéric Fonteyne
© Poster, Working Girls, 2020, Anne Paulicevich and Frédéric Fonteyne
© Charles Paulicevich