Camélia Jordana is on all fronts! After the series (Irresistible on Disney+), after the album (Easy x Fragile), here is the film (Before the flames go out), in theaters next Wednesday. The thirty-year-old artist seems to have inexhaustible energy. In Mehdi Fikri’s feature film, Camélia Jordana brilliantly plays the older sister of a teenager killed during a police arrest. She then puts her life on hold to discover the truth and obtain justice. After having provoked controversy for comments on police violence, “distorted” according to her, the artist returns to this delicate subject through this powerful film. With a smile but without tongue in cheek, she confided in 20 minutes on its current affairs but also on its relationship to the world and the media coverage of its declarations. Meet a woman full of life and convictions.
How do you manage all your projects at once?
I’m lucky to have a great team that fits circles into squares which means that we end up getting there even if it’s not easy. The truth is that I believe in the projects I engage in and that the beauty of what is happening around me makes things slide. The question to ask yourself above all is why we do things.
Exactly why did you choose to film in a hotly topical film like “Before the Flames Go Out”?
I liked that it talked about universal subjects like family, mourning, rejection or guilt. And not just police violence. Movies like Hate Or Wretched adopted a masculine and external point of view. In this one, we are inside a family. The title “Before the flames go out” indicates the small window of opportunity that families have to act politically and in the media to fight for the truth. The fact of going intimate to address an eminently political subject interested me. This is what I look for in cinema as a spectator and as an actress.
You have been criticized in the past for comments on police violence, are you not afraid that this film will reignite the controversy?
Quite the contrary and I really like the idea of being able to come back to it with this film which allows us many more nuances, over a long period of time, it’s the luxury of cinema. It seems important to me to emphasize this. This is not an anti-police film, in the same way I never was. The comments that were attributed to me on this subject, all the distortions of my speech, went to the very opposite of the message that I wanted to send to recreate the link and trust between the people and the police. Living in society, for me, is obviously not about opposing them but having them move forward together and seeing my words transformed was very hard and very unfair.
How much have you had?
It weakened me at the time. But I understood that it could be more comfortable for certain people, for certain people who could have provided an answer on the subject of police violence, to insist on my clumsiness. This distracted attention from taking action. Fortunately, I also have the impression that listening has changed in three years. This is a subject which is now at the center of citizen debate. I didn’t just make the film for reasons of personal commitment, but also because I fell in love with the character of Malika who reminds me of Amal Bentounsi, who became a lawyer to defend her brother. It is a real cinema film which has been selected and rewarded in several international festivals such as Rome or Toronto. As for me, who comes from popular culture, who seeks to give love to the public, we sometimes forget that I grew up in front of cameras and journalists who were delighted that I told them what I thought. This was done with great confidence. And overnight, on a subject that I didn’t think was so thorny, it got out of control. I was shocked by the way my words were twisted without me being able to reverse anything. There are still, today in France, people who think that I am an “anti-white” racist or that I hate men. Pure madness!
Do you think that an artist should have a right of reserve when asked for their opinion on current affairs?
Current events are both interesting and delicate. We can be tempted to say what we think with spontaneity and authenticity, even if it means paying the price, as in my case. We may not want to talk about certain topics because we’re afraid of being awkward, which I respect. It shouldn’t be an obligation to express yourself on current hot topics, but being an artist means reflecting your times. I wouldn’t know how not to look at the world in which I live. When people ask me about the state of the world, I can’t say, “No, no, I don’t have an opinion.” Perhaps I should practice more language, to protect myself, my projects, my teams… I have a responsibility towards them who work in the shadows but toast as much as I do.
The hot topic today is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. May we ask you how you view it?
I have no words to define the state this puts me in, this helplessness that upsets me! I don’t understand that in 2023 governments and people elected to represent the people still have the right of life or death over humans. What happens there, it’s not me who will be able to resolve it. But I can also only regret the enormous impact that this could have in France with a resurgence of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.
How did you approach your role in “Before the Flames Go Out”, that of the victim’s older sister?
I relied on the scenario which moved me deeply. Malika’s character reminds me of Antigone, ready to sacrifice her life for what she believes is right. Like her, and like many women who are involved, my character is not exploited. She makes the conscious choice to fight, even if it means losing a lot in the process. His strength of conviction ends up leading those around him. It’s his way of coping with his pain. It’s a very beautiful role of a strong woman. I consider myself very lucky to have been chosen to play her.
Is your life “easier or more fragile” to use the title of your new album?
Between the two. For a long time, I forced myself, without even being aware of it, to be strong and to fight without ever putting down my weapons. Then I realized, over time, that it was an asset to embrace one’s weaknesses. The trials I encountered made me stronger by teaching me to embrace my nuances. It’s all a question of balance, of knowing how to accept the storms that we may encounter. The work of an artist is knowing how to choose, which also means learning to renounce. We have the right not to please everyone. Taking this step means learning to accept yourself. I am lucky to be able to tell all of this in my songs. And I intend to continue to touch everything: music, cinema and even a documentary on a cultural mecca, the Villa Noailles, which I am currently making. I don’t forbid myself anything. Art helps me get through life.