Ava Cahen

Tell us a little bit about your background: how did you get into the film industry:

My parents shared with me the love for visual arts, especially cinema, from a young age. Film has always been an art that attracted me, and movies naturally became my companions on this journey. In 2006, I began studying Performing Arts at Nanterre. I took classes in theater, literature, and cinema. It was during my third year that I fell in love with film criticism. After completing my Master's degree, I started writing for various publications, both online and print. Eventually, I joined the team of the TV show "Le Cercle" on Canal+

Last year, at just 35 years old, you were named "the youngest selector in the history of the Festival." How does it feel?

It's a pleasure! It's an honor to have been elected to this position by the French Syndicate of Critics. I hope it will inspire other young women, other selectors, and other festivals. It is proof that you can attain such a position, that it is achievable, and that you can feel legitimate in it.

How do you manage to fit all of that into one day? As General Delegate of the Critics' Week, co-editor-in-chief of FrenchMania, and a columnist on Le Cercle on Canal+, how do you make it all work?

Actually, these activities coexist with one another. I believe that being a film critic makes me a better programmer, and being a programmer makes me a better film critic. I find my balance in this and a constant form of stimulation. While my schedule is undoubtedly busy, it's all about organization!

In your opinion, what makes the Critics' Week so unique?

Firstly, it is a selection dedicated to first and second films. Our focus is on discovery and emergence, and it has been for 62 years! I can't resist mentioning a few names of filmmakers who were recently discovered at the Critics' Week, such as Julia Ducournau (Raw), Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter), Léa Mysius (Ava), Charlotte Wells (Aftersun)... Additionally, the selection committees are composed of active film critics, which is one of the specificities of the Critics' Week

What, in your opinion, are the essential qualities for being a good film critic? Moreover, does "real criticism" still exist today?

Being a critic is being a conduit. It's about conveying thoughts, analysis, information, and emotions experienced during the viewing of a film. I like to believe that we are the bridge between audiences and the works themselves. Criticism is an exercise that requires practical and technical knowledge of cinema, as well as literary and argumentative qualities. Criticism is practiced in various ways today, whether through writing, oral discussions, debates on television or radio, such as on "Le Masque et la Plume." It still exists; it persists, even if it is given less prominence in mainstream media than before, it must be said.

What inspires you the most about cinema?

The desire to discover young talents and support them.

What is your connection to Le Mont Saint Michel work jacket ? What does it represent to you?

It is elegant, simple, flexible, and easy to wear. It immediately evokes thoughts of mild seasons, spring, summer, and the sea. It feels comfortable when you wear it. Not disguised, but truly oneself.

Is there a future project that excites you?

A collection of interview books (with filmmakers, actors) with FrenchMania.