Céline Sciamma has a career retrospective starting today in Paris. For the occasion, she will screen new edits of “Tomboy” (2011) and “Girlhood” (2014), both shorter than their previous versions.
In an interview with Le Monde, Sciamma says she was motivated to cut scenes involving violence in “Tomboy,” the footage removed includes a slap, and the final scene.
As for “Girlhood,” which has been deemed controversial by some over the years, with accusations of “cultural appropriation,” the changes are absolutely drastic. Sciamma has cut over 25 minutes, including the opening American football scene. In a separate interview with Radio France, Sciamma says she was inspired to keep only “the acts of tenderness” in “Girlhood.” The film now goes from its original runtime of 113 minutes to 88 minutes.
“Girlhood,” which The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw described as “Girlz n the Hood,” was initially met with strong reviews — and is still seen by many as a memorable effort. However, the film and Sciamma did face criticism from some writers, academics, and activists because a white French director was depicting the lives of Black girls in the Paris banlieues. Critics questioned whether Sciamma could authentically represent that experience and whether she should be the one showing perspectives on race and class.
In case you’re wondering, and according to Sciamma, these new cuts of “Tomboy” and “Girlhood” will now be the reference versions going forward and will be the only ones permitted for exhibition in any new release or retrospective. So make sure to track down a copy of the original versions before their impending disappearance.
Sciamma (“Portrait of a Lady on Fire”), who hasn’t released a film in over six years, has been in a combative mood of late. She recently claimed that she is done with film festivals, describing them as “joyless, speculative competitions,” took a shot at Scorsese for making movies over three hours long (“selfish”), and stated that she will only be making short films from now on.
It is therefore not surprising that the Paris retrospective will present a new work from her: a 45-minute short titled “Tutti Fruti,” consisting of scenes filmed entirely by herself over the last year. She describes it as “a solo practice of cinema.”
All of this comes as Sciamma’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” released in 2019, placed 30th on the prestigious once-a-decade Sight and Sound poll of the greatest films of all time.