The short movie- written and directed by Fanny Ardant- is associated with the Council of Europe Dosta Campaign seeking to overcome the prejudices and sereotypes towards Roma in Europe. Chimeres Absentes tells the story of Sonietchka, a Roma girl who cannot afford to eat in the school canteen because her family is too poor. Only Malvina, her music teacher (played by Fanny Ardant) is brave enough to cross social and cultural borders and discover the complexity, richness and freedom of the Roma traditional culture.
Notes and Images
When I first spoke with Fanny Ardant regarding the look of the film, she said she wanted it to be timeless. The film deals with the prejudices against Roma people.I tried to portray the richness of their culture through the costumes. I used bold prints and an unusual combination of color seeing that there was a certain freedom from structure. For the lead male actor, a black silky shirt and black trousers. The red silk scarf provided a dash of color, he used the scarf as a prop during the dance scene in the rain.
