Substance with Demi Moore: Yes, its director is French! 5 Important Facts You Should Know About Coralie Fargeat

Behind the craziness of The Substance is the woman: Coralie Farjit. He directed this project, but also wrote the script, edited and co-produced. As of this writing, his film has grossed over $50 million at the worldwide box office. It is three times her budget and above all, one of the most important – if not the most important – success for a French woman across the Atlantic.

Yes, he is French!

Let France Rejoice: Despite its Hollywood casting, The Substance was created by a French woman and produced by an entirely French team. In addition, the entire film was shot in France, although the story takes place only in Los Angeles. The exteriors, especially the scenes where the characters are walking down the street, were shot in Cannes.

Why did you make the film in English? Simply because it was easier for the director to produce his project in this language, as was the case with his first feature film, Revenge. This is what he explained in an interview Crazy movies For this first film release:

“It was quite difficult to travel there for the financing itself. In the end, it was the English/French language mix that made it possible to find a viable configuration where the film kept its French roots – which was very important to me – and at the same time benefited from the added value of being able to bring in the last partners we needed.“

His amazing journey

Before filming Demi Moore, Coralie Fargit, a lifelong fan, began as an intern on the set of an American film shot in France. Then he became the second assistant – a position that reports to the first assistant director, who is in direct contact with the filmmaker.

To explore her skills, Coralie Farger first shot her first short film, Le Télégramme, in 2003. This first short was spotted at festivals before being acquired by France 2. Years later, in 2014, he signed a second short, Reality+, a sci-fi film much more in line with his favorite genre.

She was a fairy on TF1!

This is one of the most amazing facts about Coralie Fargeat. Before drowning viewers and viewers in pints of blood, he co-created the short program Les Fées cloches with Anne-Élisabeth Bleto. Aimed at a younger audience, this series was broadcast on TF1 in 2007. Coralie Farjit played one of the fairies named Pata.

On social networks like X or TikTok, the appearance of the director in this program did not make us smile when we know his radically different world today.

Here’s an excerpt found thanks to internet users:

faithful woman

His films speak for themselves. Korali Farjit is committed to women’s rights and freedom. A commitment that he emphasizes in his work, but also in interviews, where he speaks freely about it. Recently, the director also took action and withdrew The Substance from the Polish Camerimage festival.

The reason: director Marek Židović made misogynist remarks and proved that better visibility of female filmmakers and directors in festival selection could increase “.Mediocre moviesThe organizer apologized for her comments, but Coralie Fargit still wanted to leave the event, as did director Steve McQueen.

“The substance speaks precisely to the impact of this type of behavior in our world. We can’t tolerate them anymore“, he wrote Instagram.

The success of the substance is exactly in line with its commitment. The filmmaker explained to AlloCiné that many women have sent him messages of thanks: “They say to me: “Thank you for making this film”, “I have the impression that I have been seen, understood.” I think that’s what resonates with me the most because I wish I had seen this movie when I was a kid.“

Passionate about science fiction

Korali Fargit’s passion for cinema was born thanks to her grandfather. “ My brother and I were shown violent movies that we weren’t allowed at home“, he explains Crazy movies. He developed a love for genre cinema and especially science fiction. One of his first big cinematic shocks was George Lucas’ first Star Wars.

“CHis films made me immerse myself in worlds that made me feel alive and allowed me to explore – unconsciously at the time – many themes related to our fears, our anxieties… This is the genre of cinema that inspired me to direct..”

AlloCiné comments collected by Thomas Desroches, Paris, November 5, 2024.

Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance can be seen in the cinema.