Have you watched the Sex Exchange?

One online account attributes your inspiration to create Oppressed Majority to your husband's disbelief that you had been yelled at in the street. Is this true? Was that just the final straw on an idea that you had been playing with for some time or just the start of something much bigger. What did your husband think of the outcome?
I was raised as a child with the idea that men and women are equal. When I grew up, I realized they're not, even if there are laws in my country to enforce equality. Moreover I realized people (mostly men) were denying the discrimination women suffered from. One day, my own husband, who's what I would call a feminist, told me he couldn't imagine women were so oppressed. He couldn't imagine I was regularly insulted by guys in the street because I hadn't thanked them for telling me my ass was nice. I decided to make a film in which men would experience what women have been experiencing since they were born.

Do the scenarios you create for Pierre reflect situations in your own life and those of women you know or are they just generic references to issues you thought ought to be addressed?
All the situations in the film have been lived by friends or women I know, or even myself. The whole day is fiction of course; you never have such bad luck in 12 hours, but each situation is real. Ask any woman who watched the film: she recognizes almost everything!

There's so much more to feminism than what one can portray in 10 minutes. How did you choose what to feature and what to exclude? If you had to make the video again or better still do a Part II, what would you include?
What was important for me was to show that sexism is hidden in everyday relationships. The sexual assault is the climax, the most patent form of discrimination, but it takes its roots in apparently normal situations, such as meeting your neighbour in the morning, talking with your son's nanny and so on. That's why I chose to depict the routine of a character. Fiction doesn't intend to be exhaustive; it's only a matter of choices. For me, a film is a metaphor, not a catalog.

Was your original video much longer and did you have to trim it town keeping in mind the current attention deficiency of potential viewers?
There were one or two scenes I had to cut because the rhythm wasn't good, not because of the audience. Short films are the perfect place for free creativity. You don't have to bother with profitability or anything like this. Moreover, when I made the film, I didn't think of posting it on the internet, it was meant for festivals and TV channels, which issue short film programs.

I believe the film has been around since 2010, yet it shows as being uploaded to youtube, just a year ago (without subtitles) and just a month ago with English sub-titles. Is there a reason you waited so long before letting it loose on the internet?
Orange TV had given me money to make the film, so they had the exclusive rights of the film for a year or two. Then my producer tried to sell the film to other channels. Finally, I decided to post it on youtube, since there was no much interest from French channels, and I wanted people to be able to see it when I talked about it. But I couldn't imagine it would go so crazy!

Who is your target audience? Male? Female? LGBT? The women/people of France? A global audience? Did you script with someone specific in mind or was this just a way to give vent to your own frustrations?
Once again, I'm an artist and it's a film, not a commercial. I imagined it and made it because I needed to talk about something that shocks me. When I write script, I always begin with a need, a personal reason. A movie is intimate. And I think the more intimate it is, the more universal it becomes.

What has the response to this film been? Have women connected to it more than men? Is there a tendency for men to dismiss it as being exaggerated?
I have received so many messages… Most women love the film, and thank me, which is incredibly moving for me. Many men say the film opened their eyes. Others show solidarity in the fight for equality. Some feel assaulted by the film and become extremely violent against women, and especially feminists, whom they despise and hate. These guys are afraid of losing their power but they don't understand that feminism isn't about taking the power but sharing it.

What do you think we as women/men/society can constructively do to minimize everyday sexism and violence?
I found my way by writing stories and making films. Everyone can be active in one's own field. Moreover in my everyday life as a mother I try to pass my awareness and vigilance about discrimination on to my children (boy and girl). If there's one thing you hope this film could achieve what would it be? I'm very proud when the film is shown in classes to teenagers, because it allows them to think about a reality they often don't challenge or question and, by talking about it, it might help them change their behaviors.

Do you think a world like the one you created in your film could really exist? Would power go the heads of women if they were in charge or would their sense of fairness and sensitivity prevent them from oppressing the men in their lives?
The world I created is of course not an ideal world. Domination of one sex over the other can't be a solution. Women will always have to fight to obtain equality and then to keep it. Unfortunately, I think life is based upon power relationships.

What was the toughest part of making this film and the funniest?
The toughest part was the sexual assault because I wanted it to be really frightening and lively. I asked the actresses to do things to Pierre without him knowing what would happen. First he was a bit bewildered, but he's an excellent actor, so he used his uneasiness for the scene, and I think the audience sympathizes with him. We laughed a lot when making the film, because the guys in the crew acted as if they were in the reverse world too. The atmosphere on the set was really great. Everybody was concerned with the subject of the film and relieved by the comedy tone of it too. The funniest moment was when we shot the scene with the topless jogger running in the street. People living in the area looked stunned by what they saw! Windows were opening everywhere to watch the show...

Have you been to India before? Some of the scenes you portray ring very true to things that happen in India. Do this think they would ring true anywhere in the world or do you think there are countries where women are more fortunate?
I've never been to India; I'd love to visit someday. I received many messages from your country, especially from men who were very grateful and told me the film made them think a lot. Of course, we Europeans are more fortunate, as far as rights are concerned. But if the film was so successful, I think it's because women all over the world share an intimate need to rebel against discrimination and injustice.

Could you let us in on what you're currently working on? Will we be seeing more films along the lines of Oppressed Majority?
I'm working on a mockumentary about teenagers and the way boys force girls to shave their pubic hair; otherwise they say they're not pure (which shocks me so much!). I would like young girls to understand they own their body and have to decide for themselves what they want to look like. I'll let you in on my next films of course. This internet buzz has give me the courage and faith to continue! Watch Oppressed Majority at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4UWxlVvT1A