The inner courtyard of the Canebière building, built by Fernand Pouillon in 1952 as a vision of quality housing for the people. The camera slowly follows the vertical and horizontal lines of the windows. Traces of human presence punctuate the uniformity of the façade (laundry, plants in pots). The rythm suddenly syncopates, accelerates : pendulum movements replace pans, the sounds of steps and voices echoing in the hall reaches a crescendo. The screen turns black, and James Baldwin’s voice, talks in French about the position French society allows Algerians in its midst. Between the wordless images and the imageless words, a common thread : the legacy of people’s struggles in French society, of their claims for dignity and equality.
Biography
Maïder Fortuné, studied literature and theatre (École Jacques Lecoq in Paris) before entering Le Fresnoy National Studio for Contemporary Arts, where she developed a performance-related practice of the technological image. With its great formal rigor, Fortuné’s work commands all the viewer’s attention for a genuine experience of the image and its processes. Recently, her practice turned to more narratives preoccupations. Lecture performances and films deeply rooted in writing, are the mediums she process to open up new narrative strategies.
Her work has been exhibited internationaly (Europe, Brazil, Canada, China, Japan). In 2010 she won the Villa Medicis fellowship in Roma, Italy. Recent shows and performances have been held at Gallery 44, Toronto, Centre Pompidou Paris, and the Toronto International Film Festival.
In 2019, her mid-length film “L’inconnu de Collegno” was part of IFFR Bright Future selection. In 2020, “Communicating Vessels” won the Accomodo Tiger award at IFFR Rotterdam, the Main Award of Moscow International Experimental Film Festival, the Student Award of Black Canvas film festival in Mexico, and was part of Indie Lisboa film festival, FID Marseille film festival, Montreal documentary Film Festival, Bucharest Film Festival. “Outhere (for Lee lozano)” is her last film codirected with Annie Mac Donell.
