"... A Singular Biographical Representation of a Subject is Impossible": Elisabeth Subrin on Maria Schneider, Manal Issa and The Listening Takes

Drawing upon a 1983 interview the actress Maria Schneider gave to the French TV show Cinéma Cinéma, Elisabeth Subrin’s short film Maria Schneider, 1983 premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and went on to win in 2023 France’s César award for Best Documentary Short. In Subrin’s film, three actresses -- Manal Issa, Aïssa Maïga and Isabel Sandoval -- progressively interpret the text of Schneider’s interview throughout the 25-minute piece, with Issa strictly recreating Schneider�...