elc team
The 28th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival welcomed French star Juliette Binoche on Tuesday evening at the packed Olympion theater for the special screening of the documentary In-I In Motion, which marks the directorial debut of the celebrated and award-winning actress.
The festival’s Artistic Director Orestis Andreadakis warmly welcomed the distinguished guest of the 28th TDF.
“She has collaborated with some of the greatest directors of European and world cinema and has linked her name to landmark films that remain etched in our minds and hearts. She is President of the European Film Academy and has won an Oscar, a BAFTA, a César, and acting awards at the Cannes, Venice, and Berlin festivals. In 2024, here in Thessaloniki, at the International Film Festival, she was awarded an honorary Golden Alexander.
After a long career in front of the camera, she recently decided to step behind it as well, directing a documentary – a genre with its own challenges and demands. In the film In-I In Motion, which will be released in Greek cinemas this autumn by Feelgood, she proves she has succeeded brilliantly, and from now on her name will not refer only to a great actress but also to an important director with a personal vision, a distinct aesthetic imprint and a unique voice. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Juliette Binoche.”
In her greeting, Juliette Binoche thanked the festival for the invitation and spoke about the idea behind the documentary she directed:
“Thank you for inviting me to this special place. It is becoming my second home, and I thank everyone who is here. I spent many months thinking about how to combine this material, which had been filmed by my sister, the director Marion Stalens, who allowed me to use the raw footage, since she had many shots that had never been used.
My need to create this film came from the desire for the audience to experience a little of what it feels like to be inside a creative process, which is a very blurry condition. You don’t know where you are going, but you keep moving because you believe you will eventually find the place you are looking for,” she said.
“In this process there are many fears, but also many miracles that can happen. There were tensions but also a lot of joy that we managed to do it, and above all there was great faith coming from us, but also from two people: the acting teacher Susan Batson and the rehearsal director Su-Man Hsu. We came from four different continents, from many different parts of the world – Taiwan, America, Africa, Bangladesh, London, Paris – and that was exactly the joy of sharing and trying to create a common vision.
Since Thessaloniki itself includes many different cultures, as I discover every time I visit, I hope that this film will speak to your hearts and minds,” Binoche concluded.
The screening of the documentary In-I In Motion followed, capturing her creative encounter and collaboration with the renowned British dancer and choreographer Akram Khan. After the screening, a Q&A session took place, during which the French star spoke about the themes explored in the film and her experience of moving into directing.
“There is a story I want to share with the world. Somehow, I feel that I inspire people’s minds. That is the goal. When Robert Redford came to see the performance, he told me at the end that I should make a film about it. I didn’t need anything more, so I decided to do it.
I knew in some way that it was an important experience because connecting different people is always interesting, since we come from different worlds. Dance and acting seem almost like opposite worlds, but trying to find a connection and a new way for these two forms to meet was a challenge – almost a duty.”
Speaking about the intention behind the film, Binoche added:
“I don’t know if you felt somehow that you were part of the creation, if you felt all this blur and some of the tensions, because my idea was for the audience to participate. I wasn’t trying to explain what we went through or tell a story about it. I wanted to allow the audience to become part of the process.”
When asked how she chose the final material for the film, she answered:
“In reality, directing is the space we leave for the audience to imagine, because we cannot explain everything. That was one of the difficulties. But I kept many beautiful moments. Directing is about choosing and being selective about what you leave in.
In some of the shots I selected I look completely ridiculous, but that’s perfectly fine. As an actor and creator, you sometimes have to look ridiculous – it’s part of the process. And the fear that emerges is the real invitation. When you free yourself from that fear, the feeling is truly wonderful.”
She then spoke about her encounter with dance and the value of trying new things:
“It was a beginner’s journey. And it was fun because it showed me that we can try new things. Sometimes we don’t dare because we fear being judged, or we fear deceiving ourselves or others. But if you have faith and try every day, beautiful things will happen – then we can transform ourselves.
This is truly the luxury of being human: that transformation exists within each of us. That’s why I felt it was important to show the film. I believe we must dare to travel to new places, because that is precisely the gift of life.”
Speaking about the relationship between creativity and love, she noted:
“Giving yourself to the fire of creation is the best thing. Love is such a big word. We seek love and of course we can fall in love. When love comes, it surprises us – it is something so great, and we need to be able to receive it. That is what makes it possible.”
She also revealed that the first story mentioned in the documentary – about a 14-year-old girl falling in love at the cinema – actually happened to her at that age.
When Orestis Andreadakis asked why she chose the documentary form and whether she might work in fiction in the future, Binoche clarified:
“I cannot say that I chose documentary – documentary chose me. When Robert Redford said, ‘You must make a film about this performance,’ I immediately felt he was right and that I would do it. He was the one who felt the need first, but right after that I committed myself by saying yes.
I didn’t know when it would happen because I was very busy as an actress, and when you love what you do it’s very difficult to disconnect and dedicate two years of your life to something completely different. But I had already said yes, and for me the words that come out of our mouths are commitments that we must honor wholeheartedly and completely.”
As for whether she will direct fiction in the future, Binoche left the possibility open:
“Life itself is fiction, so we’ll see what happens.”
