Ain't No Time for Women

Winner of the Prix de la relève awarded by the student jury at the 6th edition of Plein(s) Écran(s), this documentary by young filmmaker Sarra El Abed was a revelation for me. I saw not only a crazy and contagious energy, but also the promise of an author with a tender, sincere and sharp eye. It is through this intimate look that we meet these women in a place where they feel safe, but that is not synonymous with superficiality : the hair salon. They welcome us with open arms, let the camera detail them and capture this effervescent moment on the eve of an election that could be fraught with consequences for them - and all women in the country. Between debates, jokes and a few dance steps, they reveal themselves in all their complexity and paradoxes. The staging, naturalist and skilful, reminds us of the good old days of Agnès Varda. The filmmaker succeeds perfectly in making the intimate and the political cohabit, so that they enter into dialogue and respond to each other. In the end, what emerges from this chaos is a great warmth, a celebration of these women to which Sarra El Abed invites us. A work as beautiful as it is essential!

Ariane Roy-Poirier
General and Programming Director
Plein(s) Écran(s)