"Awakening of the Ammonite" Director Francis Lee People can change so much through encounters with others [Director's Interview Vol.118]

`` God's Own Country '' (17), which was his feature debut as director and screenwriter, made a spectacular debut, winning numerous awards at the Sundance Film Festival, British Independent Film Awards, Berlin Film Festival, British Academy Awards, etc. Directed by Francis Lee. ``The Ammonite's Awakening'', her second full-length film, stars two major actresses, Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan, and tells the story of women who discover themselves buried in solitude, set in the 19th century. Inspired by Mary Anning, a real-life paleontologist, this work is delicately and boldly drawn. We spoke to director Francis Lee, who directed another acclaimed film.

Index

• I am strongly attracted to people who do not give up in the face of adversity.
• A story that captures moments that “could have happened”
• I want to create stories that enjoy and celebrate differences.
• Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan
• No stuntmen or body doubles are used.
• People can change so much by meeting other people.

I am strongly attracted to people who do not give up in the face of adversity.

Q: Why did you choose to feature Mary Anning, a real person? Please tell us what led to the creation of this work.

Frances: I learned about Mary Anning when I was looking for fossils to give as presents. My name kept coming up in internet searches, so I started looking into it out of curiosity. When I read the materials, I found out that she was an excellent scientist.

Mary was born into a very poor family, and her parents had 10 children, but only two of them survived to adulthood. She lost her father at the age of 10 and became the breadwinner of her family. To support his family, he began selling fossils to tourists, and at the age of 13 he unearthed the world's first full-body fossil of an Ichthyosaurus.

Mary, an inquisitive person, taught herself and discovered more fossils. However, working class women were not recognized in a male-dominated class society. She sold the fossils she discovered to major museums and fossil collectors around the world, but none of them bore her name.

The Ammonite Wakes © 2020 The British Film Institute, British Broadcasting Corporation & Fossil Films Limited

What impressed me was her tenacity and ability to survive in a harsh world. I'm strongly attracted to people who don't give in to adversity. I was also drawn to the surrounding environment. The coastline of Lyme Regis, where Mary lived, is truly spectacular. The landscape in which the character is located shapes the character.

I wanted to depict the life of this woman who had never been recognized throughout her life. On the other hand, I am also very particular about people's emotions and relationships. That's why I wanted to depict a relationship that would be suitable for her.

Q: Based on your previous work, God's Own Country, did you choose a woman's story this time?

Francis: Indeed, ``God's Own Country'' was a story about two young men working on a farm in Yorkshire. I hadn't decided that my next work would be from a female perspective, but I wanted to explore a love story with a different range of emotions. By focusing on the female characters, I think this work was able to depict a different emotional exchange than the previous work.

A story that captures moments that “could have happened”