But in the meantime, until its public release, here’s a snippet with the charming Emilie Dequenne who was highly sought after during this festival. Consequently, we shared this young actress’s interview with our colleagues from Kiss FM, Trafic FM, and Ici Paris.
Made up, styled, and dressed in a miniskirt with heels too high, paired with a neckline matching her red nails, Emilie Dequenne had the look of a femme fatale. But as they say, clothes do not make the man. Indeed, behind this “bimbo” appearance (as we would say today) hides a tender-hearted child whose sensitivity has touched us.
Nice-Première: Emilie, what role do you play in “Henry Dunant – Red on the Cross”?
Emilie Dequenne: A nurse from Geneva who has been in love with Henry Dunant since her childhood. She is moved by the letters Henry writes to her, conveying the horrors he witnessed at Solferino. She rallies all of Geneva, including aides and doctors, to help and treat the wounded.
N-P: What does the Red Cross mean to you?
E.D.: The Red Cross is wonderful. It was already there when I was born. It is so present and firmly established that one doesn’t even question the possibility that it might not have existed at some point. It seems like it has always been there. It’s really wonderful. When I received the script, I was super happy. I thought: of course, my goodness, there was a man who did these things, it’s amazing. It needs to be known.
N-P: How would you define this film?
E.D.: This film is very universal, much like the Red Cross, but it is a film that gives a lot of hope. Seeing one man get so involved because he was deeply moved is beautiful. He is sensitive and believes that things are achievable. He succeeds in creating the Red Cross. It gives us hope on a smaller scale too. It makes us feel that in the little daily things of life, we can also believe in what we want to do and achieve it. The film gives hope because it reminds us of humanity and reflects back to the human beings who are on these battlefields. It is a film filled with hope.
N-P: Is there a cause that is close to your heart?
E.D.: Yes, I support the APEAD, an association for aphasic and dysphasic children. These are very intelligent children who are unable to grasp language. It’s like if you go to a foreign city and never manage to learn the language. There’s a blockage. They are intelligent but they can’t understand; they have thoughtful ideas but can’t express them. It’s a real disability. I fight for these kids because there are very few language schools, but the means exist. It’s quite difficult to raise awareness for this because the disability is not very visible. The goal is for them to pursue technical studies, to have a job. For 6 or 7 years, I have been working with this association because there are causes that touch me. I’d love to support more causes, but it’s not possible, it’s very complicated. Once I support a cause, I want to devote myself to it wholeheartedly.
N-P: Why this particular fondness for this association?
E.D.: Because I took care of a dysphasic child. I was his babysitter when I was 14.
N-P: And how is Miss Julie doing?
E.D.: “Miss Julie”? It’s over, but we are coming back soon since we are going on tour. It was a very beautiful experience with Bruno Wolkowitch. We performed it almost 120 times. On August 8th, we are playing the piece again in Ramatuelle, and we start touring in January and February 2007. It was a beautiful success. It’s a very demanding play. More than once, I wondered if they would intern me at the end of the play because it invokes such deep emotions about loneliness, depression. I am such an optimist. I’m very happy. It’s been three days since I last performed, and I’m just happy to have found myself again with my good old friend Emilie! (Laughs) It’s true, it’s a very loaded and unsettling play. It was a real challenge to perform this play. It’s a classic, a tragedy, not necessarily what draws people, but Strindberg is so powerful. This play is so modern, it delves into the deepest, most buried aspects of people, and people are a bit “masochistic.”
N-P: Are you performing in “Le grand Meaulnes”?
E.D.: The filming ended a while ago and the movie will be released in October. It was directed by Jean-Daniel Verhaeghe with Nicolas Duvauchelle, Jean-Baptiste Maunier, Jean-Pierre Marielle… I have a minor role. It was really just for the pleasure of acting with all these people. I play the role of Valentine, the Parisian.
N-P: Any other projects?
E.D.: Yes. I’m acting in a film called “United States of Albert,” directed by André Forcier, which will be released on July 19th. It’s talked about less because it’s a small film from Quebec and is very funny, completely offbeat. And also get ready for a first feature film from a young woman named Alanté Alfandari – “Listen to the Time” with Ludmila Mikaël, Mathieu Demy. It’s a “fantastic thriller, a real director’s film. It’s only her first feature film but definitely not her last. There is meaning, a universe, an atmosphere. It’s about a young woman who is a sound engineer and discovers strange things through her microphones: her mother was murdered… It’s very good, a beautiful film. I am proud. This director is incredible.
N-P: And finally, if I say “First or Premiere,” who or what do you think of?
E.D.: My sister. She just received her diploma and I am very proud of her. She is going to work with a great doctor in Belgium.
For more, visit [https://www.tvfestival.com/](https://www.tvfestival.com/).
