Chltorudis members noticed French director Céline Sciamma in 2008, when her debut feature film WATER LILIES was released in the U.S. In 2009, the film was nominated in the coveted Buried Treasure category at their 15th annual Awards. The Buried Treasure award goes to a film that the Society feels was a hidden gem, overlooked by the general public, and even the indie-film loving public. While the film was hardly overlooked in its home country, picking up César Awards nomination for Best Director for both of its leads in the Most Promising Actress categories, in America is was sadly overlooked. Sciamma made her mark with the LGBTQ community though, by tackling adolescent, lesbian drama in a synchronized swimming team. The film also featured talented young actress, Adèle Haenel, who would appear in later films by Sciamma, and enter a romantic relationship with the director as well.
Her follow-up film, TOMBOY, was well-received by Chlotrudis members, but didn’t make the ballot, but in 2015, with the domestic release of her third film, GIRLHOOD, Chlotrudis took notice in a big way, nominating the film in four categories, Best Movie, and Best Use of Music in a Film; and winning the a Best Actress and Best Editing awards for Karidja Touré and Julien Lacheray respectively. It was a strong film, that made a big international splash, even gaining a Best International Film nomination at the Independent Spirit Awards.
With her fourth film, PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE, Sciamma has become a true international superstar, receiving over 150 nominations and winning over 50 awards at film festivals and awards ceremonies worldwide. This year LADY was the big nomination recipient at Chlotrudis, appearing in five categories, Best Movie, Director Actress (for Haenel), Cinematography, and Production Design. The film that appeared on many Chlotrudis members best of the year, took the Best Movie and Best Cinematography (for Claire Mathone).
With just four films under her belt, Chlotrudis members can’t wait to see where Céline Sciamma goes next. She only has one more major award to conquer — Best Director. But if the quality of her films continue to rise, that Trudy is definitely within reach.