Biography
Filmmaker, novelist and feminist Catherine Breillat was born in Bressuire in the west of France. She began her artistic career at 17 when her novel, l'Homme Facile, was picked up for publication. Her trademark frankness about sexuality was immediately evident, and the work's eroticism earned it an 18+ rating, which ironically barred Breillat herself from purchasing her own novel. At 24, Breillat made her acting debut alongside her sister Marie-Helene in Bernardo Bertolucci's Last Tango in Paris (1972). Three years later she moved behind the camera, directing Une Vraie Jeune Fille (1976), adapted from her fourth novel Le Soupirail. The film was shelved by its backers for over two decades thanks to its candid, subversive account of a young girl's sexual initiation. Her next film, Tapage Nocturne (1979) featured Breillat's signature plot device: a strong-willed female protagonist experiencing her own sexual awakening. Returning to writing, Breillat wrote numerous screenplays, including E La Nave Va (1983) for Federico Fellini, before returning to controversy, directing 36 Fillette (1988), a coming-of-age story in which the protagonist sets out to lose her virginity. Conservative critics the world over hated the film, claiming that it was sleazy and provocative "soft-porn", all the more morally dubious by the fact that the lead actress was only 16, but more liberal audiences have rejoiced in the film's frankness, its subversion of commonalities and its avant-garde style.
In 1999 Breillat released her infamous Romance - and morally uptight censors all over the world voiced their outrage. Featuring real sex, an Italian porn star in the male lead and a sadomasochistic female protagonist, Romance was labelled "pornography" and banned in several countries, including Australia. À Ma Soeur! (2001) earned Breillat critical acclaim, and awards at Berlin, Rotterdam and Cannes, while Sex is Comedy (2002), arguably her most autobiographical film, centres on a female director as she attempts to film sex scenes between antagonistic actors. Anatomy of Hell (2004) continues her focus on graphic, unflinching representations of female sexuality.
Since the beginning of her career, Breillat's work has been steeped in controversy thanks to her straightforward representation of female sexuality. Sometimes viewed as morally bankrupt and pornographic, Breillat's films have challenged mores and opened up dialogue not only about the sexual desires of women, but also about the problematic concept of artistic censorship.
