SILENT REBELLION

Cinematography: Benoît Dervaux

Cast: Lila Gueneau as Emma, Grégoire Colin as Robert, Thomas Doret as Paul, Aurélia Petit as Élise

Synopsis: 

15-year-old Emma-pregnant after a rape-defies her repressive rural Protestant community to carve a path of self-determination, transforming trauma into a catalyst for emancipation while confronting the moral hypocrisy of the village and the spectre of World War II around her.

Marie-Elsa Sgualdo

Born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. She graduated with a Bachelor in Film from HEAD -Genève (Geneva University of Art and Design) in 2010 and in 2012 completed her Master at the INSAS (Institut National Supérieur des Arts du Spectacle), Brussels. Her first short “Vas-y je t’aime” (2009) screened in Locarno.

She went on to direct “Bam Tchak” (2010), and “On the beach” (2012), awarded the Bayard d’or for Best Short at FIFF in Namur. “You can’t do everything at once, but you can leave everything at once” (2013) was selected in the Directors Fortnight at Cannes and in another fifty festivals. “Silent Rebellion” (2025), selected in the Spotlight Section of the Venice Film Festival, is her first feature-length film.

Festivals:

Venice International Film Festival 2025