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Revista FAMECOS, Porto Alegre, v. 30, p. 1-9, jan.-dez. 2023

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DOSSIÊ - FRENCH CINEMATOGRAPHY: FROM THE LUMIÈRES & MÉLIÈS TO VR & AI

Archiving the Past, Painting the Present: Representations of

Diversity and Feminism in Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Archivando el pasado, pintando el presente: representaciones de la diversidad y el
feminismo en el Retrato de una Dama en Llamas
Arquivando o passado, pintando o presente: representações da diversidade e do
feminismo no Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Xueyan Cheng1 Abstract: This paper focuses on the representations of diversity and feminism
[Link]/0009-0006-9871-3253 in the French film Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Portrait de la jeune fille en feu, 2019),
[Link]@[Link] directed by Céline Sciamma. Set in the 18th century, this film addresses numerous
contemporary issues through a feminist lens. This paper views Portrait of a Lady
on Fire as a visual archive in the history of feminist and queer cinema, creating
dialogues between the past and present. Concurrently, using Céline Sciamma as
an entry point, the paper also explores the female authorship in the 21st-century
Recebido em: 20 maio 2023. French cinema.
Aprovado em: 19 jun. 2023. Keywords: representation; feminism; Céline Sciamma.
Publicado em: 03 nov. 2023.
Resumen: Este artículo se centra en las representaciones de la diversidad y el
feminismo en la película francesa Retrato de una dama en llamas (Portrait de la
jeune fille en feu, 2019), dirigida por Céline Sciamma. Ambientada en el siglo 18,
esta película aborda numerosos temas contemporáneos a través de una lente
feminista. Este artículo ve Retrato de una dama en llamas como un archivo visual
en la historia del cine feminista y queer, creando diálogos entre el pasado y el
presente. Al mismo tiempo, utilizando a Céline Sciamma como punto de entrada,
el artículo también explora la autoría femenina en el cine francés del siglo 21.
Palabras clave: representación; feminismo; Céline Sciamma.
Resumo: Este artigo focaliza as representações da diversidade e do feminismo
no filme francês Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Portrait de la jeune fille en feu, 2019),
dirigido por Céline Sciamma. Ambientado no século 18, o filme aborda inúmeras
questões contemporâneas através de uma lente feminista. O texto considera
Portrait of a Lady on Fire como um arquivo visual na história do cinema feminista e
queer, criando diálogos entre o passado e o presente. Ao mesmo tempo, usando
Céline Sciamma como ponto de entrada, o material também explora a autoria
feminina no cinema francês do século 21.
Palavras-chave: representação; feminismo; Céline Sciamma.

Introduction
In the span of the last three years, a pandemic-induced global lo-
ckdown has prevailed. There was a prolonged period during which
theaters were closed, making a trip to the cinema a potential health
risk. As a consequence, the meanings of cinema as a cultural product,

Artigo está licenciado sob forma de uma licença

a social construct, an archive, and a form of representation have been
Creative Commons Atribuição 4.0 Internacional. both deconstructed and reconstructed. Within the purview of this alte-

1
National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore.
 2/9 Revista FAMECOS, Porto Alegre, v. 30, p. 1-9, jan.-dez. 2023 | e-44857

red landscape, it is imperative to reevaluate the ating dialogues between the past and present.
construction of cinematic culture, cinephile ide- Concurrently, using Céline Sciamma as an entry
ologies, representations of diversity, and societal point, the paper also explores female authorship
reflections related to cinema. in 21st-century cinema.
Drawing upon my personal experiences and
recollections as a cinephile, the last film I engaged Portrait of a Lady
with before the lockdown was the French feature
Portrait is a film about visuality, observation
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Portrait de la jeune fille
and representation. Although it is set in the 18th
en feu, 2019; hereafter referred to as Portrait), di-
century France, through its aesthetic styles and
rected by Céline Sciamma. This film is regarded
topics it addresses, it truly is a 2019th century film,
as one of the most influential art-house films in
as the director Céline Sciamma proposed. On
recent years. The film’s significance is further
the one hand, in an era where ‘queer becomes
underscored by its success at the 72nd Cannes
a matter of how things appear, how they gather,
Film Festival, where it was bestowed with both
how they perform, to create the edges of spa-
the Queer Palm and Best Screenplay awards. On
ces and worlds’ (Ahmed, 2006, p. 167), Sciam-
the one hand, the poignant and poetic love story
ma creates new ways to visualize and explore
between two young women transports audiences
queer possibilities. On the other hand, Portrait is
back to 18th-century pre-revolutionary France. On
beyond a queer or lesbian film, since Sciamma
the other hand, it also addresses contemporary
also embraces fluidity in her representations of
issues such as the heteronormative order, pa-
women, references to various arts forms, criticism
triarchal dominance, imbalanced power relations,
of society’s marginalization, invisibilization and
and marginalized females. There was a specific
silencing of women throughout history, as well as
moment while watching the film when I felt the
in her own work of archivization (Bacholle, 2023).
past and present intertwined.
I argue that depicting the relationships between
For numerous my friends living in Europe,
the observer and observed, Portrait itself is a film
Portrait was also the last film they saw in a cine-
about representations. It represents the identities
ma before the COVID-19 lockdown. The act of
of the two female protagonists, as well as the
engaging with Portrait has consequently become
historical voicelessness of female artists and
a significant element of our collective cinephilic
invisibility of lesbian identities.
memory. In the present post-pandemic epoch, it
Portrait begins with close-up shots of canvases
is even more significant to rethink the meanings of
and hands from young females that alternately
diversity, queerness, feminism, and gender iden-
occupy the frame, one supplanting the other. The
tities. In this context, the impact and implications
sound of fingertips pretending to sketch on the
of Portrait transcend the confines of the screen,
page is audible before any lines take shape; the
the scope of cinema, the categorization of lesbian
facial impression starts as a spectral form, devoid
themes, and even the temporal boundaries of
of any imprint. It is only after the charcoal leaves
the 18th century. It creates a potent discourse
its trace that we discern the figure represented
bridging the past and the present. This paper
in these numerous sketches: Marianne (Noémie
explores the representations of diversity and
Merlant). She is instructing the students to paint a
feminism in Portrait. It focuses on the observation
portrait of her. ‘Take time to look at me,’ she says.
and representation of identities, the visibility of
Then, suddenly, with the camera moving aside
lesbian, and female authorship in the present.
and zooming in, the audiences’ attentions fall on
The paper views Portrait as a visual archive in
another painting: a portrait of a young lady on fire.
the history of feminist and queer cinema, cre-
 Xueyan Cheng
Archiving the Past, Painting the Present: Representations of Diversity and Feminism in Portrait of a Lady on Fire 3/9

Figure 1 – Marianne and students look at the portrait of a lady on fire

Source: Portrait de la jeune fifille en feu [Portrait of a Lady on Fire] (2019).

As the film unfolds, a long flashback begins. During that period, Héloïse’s mother departs
Marianne recalls her relationship with the young for Italy, leaving Héloïse and Marianne alone with
noblewoman Héloïse (Adèle Haenel), which ha- Sophie, the house’s young servant. As the pair
ppened in a remote coastal mansion in Brittany. spend an increasing amount of time together,
Called back from a convent school due to the their connection deepens, eventually blossoming
suicide of her sister, Héloïse is informed by her into love. With the departure of Héloïse’s mother,
mother, the countess, that she is to replace her a prominent figure of patriarchy in the narrative,
sister in a pre-arranged marriage with a nobleman class divisions disappear. The three females es-
from Milan whom she has never met before. Her tablish a small homo-society, having the freedom
portrait will be presented to this man in lieu of to converse, read, and play cards with each other.
a first meeting. Rebelling against her mother’s Moreover, when Sophie wishes to end an unplan-
schemes for her future, Héloïse staunchly refuses ned pregnancy, Marianne and Héloïse attempt
to pose for the portrait. Consequently, Marianne is to assist her. When they are unable to help, it’s
employed under the pretense of being a compa- through a larger network of women, whom they
nion, with the covert task of painting the portrait encounter at a female-led bonfire, that they find
secretly. Once the portrait is finished, Marianne an individual capable of performing an abortion.
first reveals it to Héloïse. However, Héloïse is However, the blossoming romance between the
disappointed because she finds little similarity two women is abruptly interrupted with the return
between her own image and the one depicted of Héloïse’s mother. Moving back to the present,
in the painting. More importantly, she feels the Marianne reveals that she had seen Héloïse two
sense of betrayal, the feeling that someone she more times, though Héloïse didn’t recognize her.
loves lies to her. Before the countess has the The film ends with Marianne recalling the last
opportunity to see it, Marianne decides to destroy time she saw Héloïse, at a concert. Seated in
the painting. Following this, Héloïse agrees to sit distinct galleries on opposing sides of the theater,
and pose for her portrait. Héloïse is unaware of Marianne’s presence. As
 4/9 Revista FAMECOS, Porto Alegre, v. 30, p. 1-9, jan.-dez. 2023 | e-44857

the orchestra strikes the first notes of Vivaldi’s -age’ trilogy4. Being regarded as an example of a
The Four Seasons2, specifically the Summer Pres- cinema of feminist embodiment and materiality
to movement, audiences can observe Héloïse (Johnston, 2022), Sciamma’s work directly chal-
through Marianne’s eyes. The long shot focuses lenges the paradigm adopted by pre-millennial
on Héloïse’s face, with her joy gradually giving way films by women that ‘rarely question heterose-
to tears of regret. Héloïse, who has been sheltered xuality as a desirable goal’ (Tarr; Rollet, 2001, p.
for most of her life, yearns for the experience of 51). Sciamma’s first feature, Water Lilies (Nais-
music. She says that the anticipation of witnessing sance des pieuvres, 2007, hereafter Naissance)
a full orchestra performance is one of the scant is a coming-of-age story, with parallel lesbian
motivations that could lure her towards marria- and straight narratives. In this film, Sciamma is
ge. Eventually, she has the freedom to witness interested not in maintaining the sexual binary but
orchestra performance, but she loses the choice rather exploring ‘its intransigent social demands
of love. This ending resonates with the previous and contradictions’ (Potter, 2023, p. 187). Her
scene that Marianne explains the richness of second feature, Tomboy (2011) tells a coming-o-
music to Héloïse through playing a few measures f-age story of a teenager exploring transgender
from Summer on the harpsichord3. In an society identities. Her third feature, Girlhood (Bande de
where young lesbians coming of age are unaware Filles, 2014) not only centers a young black girl
of the existence of LGBTQ+ individuals, Marianne in the Parisian suburbs but also paints a broader
and Héloïse discover themselves in each other, portrait of girlhood in the 21st century, addressing
in their lovers’ bodies and gazes. In an era where issues like class and race. Her fifth feature, Petite
females are often voiceless, Céline Sciamma Maman (2021), tells a story of an eight-years-old
empowers her characters with the freedom to girl who travels through time and space to meet
explore their identities and express their voices. her mother, who is in the same age with her in
They are unlike Héloïse’s nameless mother, who that period. It is regarded as ‘the fullest expression
is known only as the countess, the mother, but yet of a selfnarrating tendency that close analysis
not as an individual in her own right. They are reveals informs her earlier films as well’ (Harrod,
themselves, at least during that brief period in 2023, p. 212). Sciamma’s oeuvre always focuses
Brittany when they are together, observing each on the day-to-day realities and experiences of
other, embracing one another, and exploring characters who are marginalized no matter in
themselves, all while resisting the heavy, visib- gender, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or social
le, and palpable expectations and burdens of a class. To that extent, Sciamma’s works show the
patriarchal society. power of representations.
Hall defines representation as ‘using language
Observation of Identity and Visibility of and signs to say something meaningful about, or
Queerness to represent the world meaningfully to other peo-
ple’ (1989, p. 68). Hall points out the significance of
Portrait is the 44-years-old Céline Sciamma’s
representation, proposing that the production of
fourth film, first period film, as well as her first film
identity is ‘never complete, always in process, and
to feature adult characters after her ‘coming-of-

2
The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi is a set of four violin concertos, each representing a different season: Spring, Summer, Autumn,
and Winter. Vivaldi composed this work in the early 18th century, and it is one of his most famous compositions, often considered a cor-
nerstone of the Baroque music era.
3
Sciamma (2019) explains the reason of choosing Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons in an interview with Film Comments. She says, ‘I wanted
the film not to have a score, which was kind of scary because making a love story without a score is pretty challenging. But I wanted the
audience to be in the same position as the characters regarding the arts and their unavailability—the frustration of that, and how art is
so important in our lives, and where we can find beauty. So when music appears, I wanted it to be striking and to get that feeling of how
precious it is. And I went for Vivaldi because I wanted music that everybody knew, I wanted a hit, so that the audience connects and will
listen to it again—it’s Vivaldi, but it’s also the memory of Vivaldi. The movie talks a lot about the importance of art in our lives because it
comforts us, and also how love brings us to love art. That final shot has all these layers.’
4
The trilogy includes Water Lilies (2007), Tomboy (2011), and Girlhood (2014).
 Xueyan Cheng
Archiving the Past, Painting the Present: Representations of Diversity and Feminism in Portrait of a Lady on Fire 5/9

constituted within, not outside, representation’ resource is from the viewers, with each viewer
(Hall, 1989, p. 68). Owens regards representation coming to the work ‘with viewer’s own situated
as ‘the founding act of power and culture’ (1992, spectatorial gaze’ (2018, p. 14).
p. 91). Sciamma’s films can represent characters’ In Portrait, the identity of queerness is explo-
marginalized identities, both in terms of gender red and represented through two layers of the
and social status. artwork-artist-viewer relationships. In the first
Portrait is a film about representation, about layer, the artwork is the portrait, Marianne is the
representing and being represented. When explo- artist, and the viewer can be both Marianne and
ring the queerness in artworks and films, Gopinath Héloïse. In the second layer, the artwork is the film,
(2018, p. 14) concludes the relationships between with filmmaker Sciamma (for whom Haenel was
artworks, artists, and viewers, proposing that a previous lover) as the artist, and both Sciamma
‘queerness of artistic works resides in multiple and the audience serving as viewers. These two
resources’. The first resource is from the work layers are interconnected from the outset. In the
itself, which produces a certain way of seeing title scene, a hesitant hand glides over the blank
queerness, an ‘alternative vision brings to the fore canvas- this is Marianne’s hand. She serves as
the unruly embodiments and desires’. The second Sciamma’s proxy, making the scene both intros-
resource is from the artists. Gopinath points out pective and inclusive for the audience. It invites
that ‘the queerness of the work derives from a viewers to reevaluate the affection between the
specific spectatorial dynamic between the artist two women, as well as the ways in which they
and the historical archive’ (2018, p. 14). The third observe each other and explore their identities.

Figure 2 – A hesitant hand glides over the blank canvas in the title scene

Source: Portrait de la jeune fifille en feu [Portrait of a Lady on Fire] (2019).

The task of ‘secretly painting’ provides a cre- but she is also observed by her students, the
dible reason for Marianne’s close observation of audiences, and Héloïse herself. The boundary
Héloïse. In the opening scene, Marianne is being between the ‘observer’ and the ‘observed’ beco-
observed by her students. However, as the film mes blurred and deconstructed, as the ‘observer’
unfolds, Marianne mostly becomes the observer, can, in turn, be ‘observed’. This shifting dynamic
painting and watching Héloïse. The audience between observer and observed reflects the
plays the role of spectators, watching Marianne varying positions of Marianne and Héloïse within
while she watches. The film exhibits the fluidity different contexts. Midway through the film, arou-
of observation: Marianne is observing Héloïse, nd the 63-minute mark, when Héloïse is posing
 6/9 Revista FAMECOS, Porto Alegre, v. 30, p. 1-9, jan.-dez. 2023 | e-44857

for Marianne, a dialogue ensues between them5: ‘When you feel angry, you stop blinking.’
Marianne observes. In response, Héloïse fixes
a wide-eyed stare on Marianne.
‘I cannot paint your smile. I painted it, but it
faded away.’ Marianne says, frowning. ‘You know all of that?’ Héloïse asks rhetorically.
‘Anger can always conquer everything.’ ‘Please forgive me. I don’t want to be in the
same position like you.’ Marianne says.
‘It is true for you. I don’t want to hurt you.’
‘We are in the same position, totally same
‘You didn’t hurt me.’
position.’ Héloïse answers. Then Héloïse asks
‘I’ve seen it. When you are emotionally moved, Marianne to stand next to her, staring at the
your hands move like that.’ artist carefully. Then Héloïse asks Marianne
to look at the canvas.
‘Really?’ Héloïse smiles, lightly biting her lip.
‘Yes.’ Marianne stares at Héloïse’s movements If place is considered as ‘a stage and practice
carefully and says, ‘When you feel embarras- of power’ (Rentschler; Mitchell, 2016, p. 1), then
sed, you bite your lip.’ Then Héloïse bites her
lip lightly again. the painting room serves as a stage that show-
cases the power dynamics between Marianne
and Héloïse.

Figure 3 – Asked by Héloïse, Marianne looks at the canvas

Source: Portrait de la jeune fifille en feu [Portrait of a Lady on Fire] (2019).

‘If you are looking at me, then who am I looking

at?’ Héloïse asks rhetorically again. Then
challenges traditional notions of interpersonal
Marianne bows her head and touches her erotic relations not only through its portrayal of
forehead.
lesbian characters and relationships, but also
‘When you don’t know what to say, you bow
by subverting the conventional artist-muse dy-
your head and touch your forehead.’ Héloïse
says, staring at Marianne. ‘When you lost con- namics. Different from the ‘male gaze’ proposed
trol, you frown.’ Then the two protagonists look
by Mulvey (1975) which illustrates the unequal
at each other.
power distribution between genders in society,
‘When you are nervously frightened, you bre-
athe through your mouth.’ Before the atmos- where women are often objectified in artworks by
phere becomes ambiguous, Marianne goes
heterosexual males. Instead, Portrait embodies
back to her position as the artist.
a ‘female gaze’—a gaze of desire, possession,
This scene represents an inversion of the tra- existence, and exploration.
ditional and typical artist-muse dynamics. Portrait Then, 93 minutes into the film, in nearly the

5
I translate the dialogues to English.
 Xueyan Cheng
Archiving the Past, Painting the Present: Representations of Diversity and Feminism in Portrait of a Lady on Fire 7/9

same positions, Marianne kisses Héloïse. This in its invisibility and unattainability. However, also
occurs after their first intimate sexual scene, it adeptly harnesses and redirects this invisibility,
which, as Potter proposes, ‘foregrounds the fan- transforming it into a potent erotic and social force
tasy of sex as an autonomous agency which that permeates the film’s narrative environment
secondarily produces manifold effects of sexu- through its tactile textures. What follows is the
ality’ (2023, p. 186). The fleeting intimate first sex kiss – a kiss that conveys a sense of denouement
scene subtly acknowledges the impact of the more than eroticism.
historical depiction of lesbian desire, particularly

Figure 4 – Marianne kisses Héloïse during painting

Source: Portrait de la jeune fifille en feu [Portrait of a Lady on Fire] (2019).

As Bradbury-Rance (2022) proposes, in Por- A Lady’s Portrait: Self Representation

trait, ‘looks’ become evidences of desire. This is and Female Authorship
a manifestation of the first layer of observation During her film research, Sciamma was thrilled
of queerness mentioned earlier. Marianne paints to discover an authentic wave of female artistic
Héloïse, while simultaneously, Héloïse also ob- enthusiasm in the latter half of the 18th century
serves Marianne looking at her. This results in a (Bacholle, 2023)6. However, she was also sadde-
shared authorship. The authorship of the story ned by the disappearance of these women, as
is shared between Sciamma and her characters, well as the erasure of their names in art history.
while the authorship of the portrait is shared be- Marianne was inspired by all the female artists at
tween Marianne and Héloïse. They are not only that time, with particular references to Élisabeth
observing each other, but also observing their Vigée Le Brun7 and Adélaïde Labille-Guiard8 (Ba-
own identities through each other. cholle, 2023). In the end of the film, Marianne uses

6
The original resource is from ‘véritable ébullition artistique féminine,’ translated by Bacholle. Available at: [Link]
fifilm/fifichefifilm- 265621/secrets-tournage. Accessed on: May 10, 2023.
7
Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun (1755–1842) was a prominent French painter, recognized as one of the most famous female artists of the 18th
century. Her artistic style is generally associated with the Rococo and early Neoclassical movements. Vigée Le Brun is renowned for
her portraits of French nobility, most notably of Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France before the French Revolution. Her life and career
spanned a period of significant social and political change, and despite the turbulent times, she was able to establish a successful inter-
national career. Having produced around 660 portraits and 200 landscapes, she was one of the few women admitted to the Académie
Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture (the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture) in the late 18th century. However, like many female
artists of her time, she was largely overlooked in art historical narratives until the late 20th and early 21st centuries, when there was re-
newed interest in her life and work.
8
Adélaïde Labille-Guiard (1749-1803) was a French miniaturist and portrait painter during the 18th century. She is best known for her
work during the time of Louis XVI, and she became one of the official artists of the French Revolution. Along with her contemporary Éli-
 8/9 Revista FAMECOS, Porto Alegre, v. 30, p. 1-9, jan.-dez. 2023 | e-44857

her father’s name to organize her art exhibition, mobile and dynamic’ (Bradbury-Rance, 2019,
which represents the voicelessness of female p. 143), Sciamma continually explores the inte-
artists in the 18 century. With the idea of finding a
th
ractions among women, as well as the female
contemporary artist, not a copyist, Sciamma finds solidarity that transcends racial and class boun-
painter Hélène Delmaire to create the original daries, through ‘a foregrounding of embodiment,
artwork of Portrait (Mercer, 2020) . Through this
9
corporeality and sensuousness’ (Lindner, 2018, p.
way, Portrait fosters a dialogue between the 18 th
195). She constructs a complex queer network,
and 21st centuries’ female artists. It gives voice making the previous invisible lesbian identities
and power to female artists who were previously visible. On the other hand, Sciamma’s oeuvre is
silenced. also marked by self-representations. She is Ma-
This parallels Sciamma’s own experience as rianne herself, a female artist observing her for-
a female filmmaker in the 21st century. According mer lover. She is also the little girl, Nelly, in Petite
to observations by Tarr (2012), between 2007 and Maman, transcending the boundaries of time and
2010, a period during which Sciamma entered the space to experience her mother’s childhood. To
film industry and completed her first feature Water this extent, Sciamma’s female authorship can be
Lilies (Naissance des pieuvres), women directed viewed as a reimagined and reconstructed form of
only 21.5% of the films made in France. However, authorship that realizes the fusion of expressions
the landscape has changed significantly over the of queerness, self-exploration, and feminism.
past decade. Since the release of Portrait, Sciam-
ma has firmly established herself among the most Conclusion
celebrated female filmmakers in history. She
In Sciamma’s films, we encounter teenage girls
carries forward the critical thinking and aesthetic
exploring their sexual orientations, a child gra-
styles from the fellow French filmmakers such as
ppling with transgender identity, young women
Agnès Varda and Claire Denis, and has become
of color navigating the transition into adulthood,
an integral part of contemporary arthouse cinema
a young mother engulfed in the sorrow of loss,
outside of Hollywood, along with other female
and a young woman daring to love, despite her
auteurs such as Jane Champion, Sally Potter,
impending arranged marriage. In her narratives,
Lucrecia Martel, and Julia Ducournau. On May
these marginalized women possess the ability
27th, 2023, French director Justine Triet became
and bravery to rebel, to love, and to live. Portrait
the third female director to win the Cannes Film
of a Lady on Fire is not just a portrait of Héloïse,
Festival’s Palme d’Or for the film Anatomy of a Fall
but also a visual archive of the history of feminism
(Anatomie d’une chute)10. As female filmmakers
and queerness, as well as a portrait of present-day
continue to gain recognition, it is crucial to re-
female artists. This fire is the fire of love, anger,
assess the significance of female authorship in
and of the past, present, and future.
today’s global cinema industry.
Sciamma’s female authorship is evident in her
References
queer aesthetics and self-representations. As
Harrod (2023) suggests, Sciamma’s filmmaking AHMED, S. Cultural politics of emotion. Edinburgh:
Edinburgh University Press, 2014.
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Portrait of a Lady on Fire. French Cultural Studies, [S.
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Academy had a rule limiting the number of female members to four. She was also the first female artist to receive permission to set up
a studio for her students at the Louvre.
9
The behind-scene painting ideas and processes can be found here: [Link]
-behind-the-film-how-painter-hlne-delmaire-created-our-portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-cover. Accessed on: May 10, 2023.
10
Jane Campion won Palme d’Or in 1993 for The Piano. Julia Ducournau won Palme d’Or in 2021 for Titane.
 Xueyan Cheng
Archiving the Past, Painting the Present: Representations of Diversity and Feminism in Portrait of a Lady on Fire 9/9

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