Les Insoumuses: Combating Patriarchy through Film

In May, French actor Adèle Haenel who is a feminist, bravely spoke up about the "general complacency" towards sexual predators in the film industry and announced her retirement. This reminds me of another amazing French actress and feminist, Delphine Seyrig, who starred in Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles and Last Year at Marienbad. Seyrig once said, "If you're a feminist and an actress, you'll lose your job. That's because you'll only accept roles that showcase feminism. You can't take any acting work because those roles don't exist." Haenel's recent experience in the film industry sadly confirmed Seyrig's words to some extent.

In 2020, Haenel attended the 45th Cesar Awards ceremony for her film Portrait of a Lady on Fire, which was nominated for nine awards. During the ceremony, she voiced her disagreement with Roman Polanski winning the Best Director Award for An Officer and a Spy and left while shouting "shame". In May of the same year, she mentioned in an interview that she would no longer make films due to political reasons, citing the film industry's reactionary, racist, and patriarchal nature. She also shared that she had been attached to a new science-fiction movie by director Bruno Dumont but ended up leaving due to her disagreement with the film's subject and content. She said, "The script was full of jokes about cancel culture and sexual violence...I didn't want to support this...I don't want to be part of a feminist washing machine. It's nonsense." For her, "to leave is to fight", so she decided to "politicize" her retirement from cinema this year. In her words, "Faced with the monopoly of the words and finances of the bourgeoisie, I have no other weapons than my body and my integrity...but you will not have me as a spectator. I cancel you out of my world."

I really admire Haenel's bravery and strength in her fight. However, as her fan, I cannot help but feel sorry for her. Her decision to retire also makes me wonder if leaving the film industry is the only option for feminist activists to fight against patriarchal films and the industry. Are there other options to consider?

I am reminded of Delphine Seyrig once again, and Les Insoumuses, a collection of independent filmmakers which consists of Seyrig, Carole Roussopoulos, Ioana Wieder, and Nadja Ringart. From the 1970s to 1980s, they created several videos on women's struggles. In 1982, the group established the Centre Audiovisuel Simone de Beauvoir, the first media institution dedicated to women's history, which is still active today. Seyrig was the group's president until her passing in 1990.

Defiant Muses: Seyrig and Roussopoulos

Roussopoulos, along with Jean-Luc Godard, was among the first to use portable cameras in France in the late 60s. She then began teaching other women through her own video workshops, inspiring them to express themselves and make their own videos. In the 70s, talented Seyrig gained popularity for her roles in movies by renowned directors such as Alain Resnais, Joseph Losey, François Truffaut, and Luis Buñuel. During this time, she actively participated in the International Women's Movement, where she advocated reproductive rights and other important causes. After joining Roussopoulos's video workshop, Seyrig discovered a new way to express herself by creating videos.

Roussopoulos, Seyrig, and Wieder created Les Insoumuses in the 1970s. “Les Insoumuses” is a clever portmanteau of French words for "unruly" or "disobedient", and “muse”, which means “Defiant Muses”. This coincided with the emergence of the women's liberation movement in countries like France and the United States. Together, Les Insoumuses produced many videos that address issues such as women's representation in the media, reproductive rights, and working conditions. Delphine et Carole: Insoumuses is a documentary that focuses on the friendship and collaboration between Roussopoulos and Seyrig. Directed by Roussopoulos’s granddaughter, Callisto McNulty, the film runs for just over an hour and sheds light on Les Insoumuses' lesser-known fight. It is a topic that many cinephiles may find intriguing.

In an archival interview from the mid-2000s, Roussopoulos talks about how important videos are as a tool in the feminist movement. She said that "video had no history, no school, no past, and men had not dominated it. It was a new medium that had not yet been colonized by men." Les Insoumuses used this to its advantage and recorded its views of the world to amplify women's voices.

In The Prostitutes of Lyon Speak, 200 sex workers occupy the church of Saint-Nizier in Lyon in 1975 to share their personal stories, relationship to the society, working conditions, and demands to stop police and social harassment. Roussopoulos promised the sex workers that she would only use the footage with their approval. She also came up with the idea of placing a television outside the church to show people what was happening inside.

In Maso and Miso Go Boating, Les Insoumuses makes fun of the misogynistic statements made by Francoise Giroud, who was then the Secretary of State for Women of France. The videos broke the boundaries between the speakers and their audience, creating a sense of immediacy and presence. Even though Les Insoumuses was fighting against one of the world's oldest and worst forms of exploitation, it did so fiercely and wittily.

I am most impressed by Les Insoumuses’s Scum Manifesto and Be Pretty and Shut Up!. Scum Manifesto, a short film directed and acted by Seryig and Roussopoulos, stages a reading of Valerie Solanas' eponymous manifesto from 1967. In the film, Seryig disseminates Solanas' theses on men, who, according to the manifesto, are biologically incomplete and try to become women. One particularly satirical moment is when Seryig reads that men should be responsible for wars since they are the ones who launch real wars on a large scale to prove to the whole world that they are "real men", while the newsman next to her introduces the different sizes of cannons on television. At that moment, Solanas' angry protest is justified.

The documentary Be Pretty and Shut Up!, directed by Seyrig, features interviews with 24 French and American actresses, including Maria Schneider, Jane Fonda, Ellen Burstyn, Juliet Berto, and Shirley Maclaine. They are asked thought-provoking questions such as "If you were a man, would you like to be an actor?" and "Have you ever played a role that resulted in a friendship with other women?" The actresses speak candidly about their experiences in the industry, highlighting the challenges of working within patriarchal studio systems. Unfortunately, they are often asked to play characters that are beautiful, young, and unintelligent, which do not reflect women’s true selves. The majority of films they appear in fail to realistically portray relationships of women, as the female characters often revolve around men and even compete with one another. However, some of the actresses have attempted to make changes by becoming directors or speaking out. In my opinion, viewers will be moved and inspired by the actresses' wisdom and insights shared in this documentary.

Rediscovery and Alternative of Fighting Patriarchy

It is pretty clear that the majority of Les Insoumuses' videos have been largely undiscovered, which just goes to show how the film industry and entire film history have long been dominated by men. Female creators not only have to overcome obstacles to make their voices heard, but also face the possibility of being silenced. When the patriarchal film industry and history showcase selected works by female creators, it is important to remember that there are still many more that have been obscured. Sadly, female creators and their works are being constantly erased. When a new generation of female creators is not familiar with the creations of their predecessors, the connection between the two generations will be cut off, and the former will have to start from scratch.

The good news is despite ongoing censorship, we are also seeing the rediscovery of important works, such as the documentary Delphine et Carole: Insoumuses. In fact, Roussopoulos had already begun planning it as a tribute to Seyrig prior to her passing in 2009. After Roussopoulos passed away, McNulty picked up from where she left off and completed it. It is amazing to see how feminists across generations continue to strive and fight for women's liberation even after the second wave of feminism.

Last month, it was announced during the 80th Venice Film Festival that the new works of Roman Polanski, Woody Allen, and Luc Besson will be screened. All three filmmakers have faced sexual assault allegations and remain controversial figures. When asked about the controversy, the festival's director, Alberto Barbera, said, "I don't understand why one cannot distinguish between the responsibilities of the man and those of the artist."

While this move made during the Venice Film Festival is certainly significant, it, at best, conveys an unclear message and, at worst, condones abusive behaviors. As a feminist and film enthusiast, these are my reflections upon learning about this news. Considering the film industry's tolerance towards these behaviors, female creators quitting alone is not enough to bring about changes or serve as a warning. The works of Les Insoumuses have also shown me an alternative way to resist the male-dominated film industry, besides just quitting as Haenel did. It is to keep creating films that depict women, that are directed by women, and that are made for women. Such works not only represent a political movement but also serve as a means of resistance against the status quo.