ANNE
2020
Anne has only one thing on her mind: dancing.
When she tries to sign up for a dance class, she is refused entry because people see only one thing about her: her difference, like an indelible mark on her face.
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Written and directed by Constance BRIAND
Starring Anne BRIAND
Driven by her desire to write, Constance Briand enrolled in a literature program at La Sorbonne, but her desire to make films was stronger. Her thirst for adventure and natural curiosity led her to Montreal, where she studied film and learned photography.
It was there that she began writing her first feature film. She then returned to France with a clear path in mind: to write, act, and direct.
Her first short film, ANNE, as writer and director, confirmed her decision to pursue a career in filmmaking.
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​Director's Note:
Through this short film, I wanted to talk about disability by showing it as it exists within society. Because ultimately, the greatest disability for Anne in particular, and for people with Down syndrome in general, is not so much related to their condition as to how society treats them.
I therefore chose to build the film's narrative around a particular concept: we never see Anne's face throughout her journey, until the moment she is faced with rejection: that of being refused entry to a dance class.
The aim of this concept is to present Anne as an ordinary person.
I wanted to open and close this short film with a symbolic image, that of a stain that Anne is trying to remove from her coat. This stain is a metaphor for Anne's disability, a difference that she must bear and accept. Ultimately, Anne will come to accept her difference by stopping to rub the stain and moving forward.
The letters of the name ANNE appear one by one and become anchored throughout the film, creating intrigue between each sequence that is revealed as the letters appear.
Like the editing, the letters come together to create and form a whole, a word that then takes on meaning: a first name, Anne. It is also the only word she will say and the only one to remember among all the other words spoken.
