We’re deep into the start of festival season, and there is no event quite like the HollyShorts Film Festival. With the ten day festival coming soon, we wanted to give a special sneak preview to some of the films that we think will be truly special. This includes the documentary short Anaïs, the story of Anaïs Quemener, a powerhouse whose journey as a marathon runner hit a brick wall in the form of Stage 3 breast cancer, a wall that Anaïs eventually ran right through. The first documentary film of French filmmaker/photographer Hélène Hadjiyianni, it’s an incredible story of perseverance, strength, passion and resilience that is really inspirational to see. Screening in the Documentary II block at this year’s HollyShorts Film Festival (5 PM on August 15th), this film feels like it will be a major hit for those who get the chance to see it. I’ll get into more detail about the film in a moment, but before that I also wanted to mention that after the analysis of the film, there will also be an interview with Hélène, who was gracious enough to spare some time for an interview. A big thanks to Hélène for that, and for more on her film, check out my thoughts below.
Hadjiyianni really delivers with Anaïs, the inspiring documentary that follows Anaïs Quemener; marathon runner by day, nursing assistant by night, and cancer survivor all day, every day.
Over the course of the fiilm, we see Anaïs as she trains, competes and speaks about her life, from the time she spends overnight at her job as a nursing assistant, to her training that supports her love of running to the competitions she enters as part of that passion. It’s a beautiful story that features detail and anecdotes from her family, such as her Indo-French grandfather Marcel Banoubie, as well her father and trainer Jean-Yves Quemener, both of whom competed as track athletes during their younger days, something that seemed to inspire Anaïs growing up. We also get a lot of time with Anaïs herself as she talks about her journey into this sport, as well as her job as a nursing assistant at night.
It’s midway through the film that we get the heart of the struggle for Anaïs. Just as her career as a marathon runner begins to gain steam, she is hit by the devastating diagnosis of her illness. While trying to beat cancer and find a way back to her love of running, it’s beautiful to see how dedicated and resilient someone like Anaïs can be, despite all she’s going through.
No matter how much you know about Anaïs Quemener’s story, seeing this film is sure to leave you stunned as to how someone can find the strength to go through all this and come out the other side such a positive and incredible person. Hélène Hadjiyianni captures all of it beautifully, adds the accompanying Alfonso Peduto score (which is frankly excellent) and puts it all together in a package that is sure to leave people feeling inspired and impressed.
To speak more on the film and how it came to be, here is an interview I conducted with director Hélène Hadjiyianni. A big thanks to Hélène for taking the time!
BitPix: How did you first learn about Anais’ story, and what drew you to it?
Hadjiyianni: It was on October 10, 2022. I remember the date because it is my grandfather’s birthday (he loved cinema a lot). Salomon, Anaïs Quemener’s sponsor, reached out to me to talk about her and the idea of sharing her story. Gradually, the more I learned about her, the more it reinforced the idea—and the very necessity—of making a film about her: about her strength, resilience, and her journey which is as inspiring as it is exceptional, both as a woman and as a female athlete, and a citizen of the world. Anaïs is a 33-year-old French woman with Réunionese and Indian roots. She works as a nighttime nursing assistant at the hospital, runs whenever she has time, and has endured a profound and difficult illness. She achieves remarkable human and athletic feats while always remaining dedicated to serving others. For everything she embodies, it became essential to me that her story be one of those we see on our screens, in the cinema – stories that inspire the world, a woman to celebrate.
BitPix: You’ve done work as a sports photographer as well. What is it about the act of athletics that interests you to the point of capturing it on film and through photos?
Hadjiyianni: The notion of surpassing oneself—pushing the limits of body and mind—has always inspired me. This concept is prominently present in sports and is particularly exceptional in Anaïs. Through her athletic practice in long-distance running, including marathons (over 42 km) and ultra-marathons (up to 100 km), Anaïs exemplifies this self-surpassing quality. This determination permeates her entire life, from her night shifts at the hospital (where, as she mentions in the film, she even runs to work) to managing the challenges of a serious illness.
Filming bodies, movement, and the internal and external dynamics of human beings—athletes, women, and the act of pushing limits—fascinates me. Capturing these moments in still images or films is a way to celebrate and create a testament to what sports and its athletes embody. They serve as a powerful medium to highlight crucial issues in contemporary society: through exceptional human stories, values of social cohesion, education, collective spirit (community and teamwork), Fair Play, discipline, as well as concepts like resilience, perseverance, equality, respect, inclusion.
BitPix: This is your directorial debut. What made you want to make the jump from photography into filmmaking?
Hadjiyianni: Funny enough, the jump happened the way around! Since childhood, I have always wanted to make films, always been passionate about cinema, which I studied in high school and then at university. During my Master’s program, I felt the need to better understand what fascinated me about the act of filming: What to film, why to film, and how to film? The subjects of movement and bodies quickly intrigued and captivated me. To go towards these subjects, and towards filming, I felt the need to start with photography first, to capture movement and bodies in still images—a somewhat primitive way of starting from scratch, of (re)starting from the beginning. I began photographing my surroundings and the bodies around me. I got hired as a photographer for sports projects, notably to follow Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, and Kylian Mbappe. Almost by accident, I found myself in an environment that allowed me to discover, understand, and work on all the subjects I wanted to explore and develop in my filmmaking (and in photography).
I took the time (ten years) to develop my photographer’s eye alongside these exceptional athletes. They were a profound source of inspiration, both in terms of form (photographing bodies and movement) and substance (drawing inspiration from their mentality, effort, and discipline). I knew that sooner or later, I would return to filmmaking—or rather, that I would finally arrive at it. As a full circle moment, when the discussion about Anaïs and the idea of making a film about her arose, it became clear to me that the time had come. It was an honor, a responsibility, and a great joy.
BitPix: We’re very excited that your film will be screening at HollyShorts this year. What’s been the reaction to the film thus far, and how will it feel to have it in front of such a wide audience?
Hadjiyianni: Thank you very much. In France, the film won best portrait in Montreuil, and best documentary short in Deauville. I am very touched to see that people are as happy and inspired as I was to discover who Anaïs Quemener is and everything she embodies, and to see how much she inspires and brings smiles, as well as how much the film touches them. The allegory of lava and the organic elements that infuse the film, the illness that strikes unexpectedly without falling into pathos, are comments that have frequently come up, until now.
By celebrating Anaïs, I also aimed to celebrate women and challenge the overly polished image that society too often projects onto our bodies, our condition, and our (supposed) limits as female athletes or women in general. People seem to be happy to see the portrait of this woman and these images on screen.
I have always believed that Anaïs (both as a person and, hopefully, the documentary short as well) deserves to be seen far and wide. Being selected at HollyShorts Film Festival this year, in the documentary short category, among such inspiring directors and films, is a huge honor and a great joy. Having Mediawan as a distributor for the film’s journey over the coming weeks and months is equally exciting. As the film crosses the Atlantic, and will be screened at the Chinese Theater on August 15th, I find this marathon to be quite beautiful. We look forward to experiencing and celebrating it all together. And we are particularly eager to meet the American audience and hear their feedback!
BitPix: Is there anything else that you’re working on that you can speak about?
Hadjiyianni: My energy is very much focused on this film’s journey. As Anaïs would say, I feel like I’m at the 38th kilometer of this marathon; and as Kobe Bryant would say: ‘Job’s not finished!’. Of course, I have other projects in mind and additional film projects in preparation. It’s difficult to say more at the moment, so stay tuned!
A huge thanks to Hélène for her time, her answers, and for helping to tell this amazing story. For those who want to see this incredible film, you can see it in person on August 15th, as part of the 20th annual HollyShorts Film Festival, airing in the Documentary block at 5 PM. Those who can’t attend the festival can also see Anaïs and all the other films at the festival on BitPix!
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