Absis-Duras : a friendship on screen

Absis and Marguerite Duras meet in the 1970s. From this meeting was born a friendship and from this friendship a collaboration. In 1976, Absis directed Cygne I and Cygne II: Marguerite Duras and Michael Lonsdale  being the voice-over, Bruno Nuytten holding the camera. The films were shown at the Festival du Jeune Cinéma de Toulon in 1976, where they received a warm welcome. On the other hand, the most radical film of Marguerite Duras, L’Homme Atlantique (1981). Together, with the films of Absis, a friendship finds its place on the screen.

In 1976, Absis made two short films: Cygne I and Cygne II. First shown at the Toulon festival, they were then reprogrammed by Dominique Noguez in Thirty Years of Experimental Cinema in France.

On a hunch, I searched for the trace of the filmmaker, and I finally found her. The two 35mm prints are kept in her cellar and this screening will be an opportunity to bring them out.

From this intuition was born a real meeting between Absis and me, and our multiple phone calls brought back memories. Information too, that, in the afternoon of July 13th, we tried to gather in the framework of an interview.