Marie Lydie Bierne - Screenwriting and Directing

-What is the first movie experience you remember?

The first film I saw in the theater was “Stuart Little” when I was 3. I don’t remember much of it, apart from crying my eyes out at the emotional moment of the film. But I would say that the first cinematographic experience that left a deep impression on me was the “rock opera” “Pink Floyd: The Wall”, one of the first DVDs my parents bought. I wasn’t supervised much with what I could watch or not, and this film has both traumatized and fascinated me. More than the famous children/meat grinder scene, the images that struck me the most were the animated parts of the film, notably the marching hammers and the white dove torn apart by a black Nazi eagle. I must have been around 10 when I watched the film, and I couldn’t really make sense of all the symbolics and the topics evoked in it, but it has for sure participated in shaping my imagination and imagery. I had nightmares for weeks after watching the film for the first time, and yet, I watched it again many times. It was so organic, so violent, so powerful. It got me to realize that cinema offers an absolute syncretism of raw art forms, carrying compelling stories through images and sounds. 

-What fascinates you about filmmaking?

Talking about syncretism, I think this is what attracts me the most to filmmaking. I have an academic background in cultural and literary studies, and cinema enhances and perfects storytelling and aesthetic tropes, it mixes literature, painting, and music perfectly. I see films as a genuine form of human expression, and I hope to be able to use mine as a way to convey messages as well as leave vivid images for the audience. 

-Why did you choose Screenwriting and Directing?

Screenwriting and Directing was the best-fitted department for me to study. I have been writing since an early age; poetry, music, and short stories, and after five years of university studies in literature spent learning about the writings of others, I decided it was time to write for myself. I also started photography in my early teen years, and screenwriting and directing allowed me to develop my thoughts and images into a different art form. 

-Did anything particularly surprise you in the study?

What I realized during my time at The Icelandic Film School is that as much as I enjoy writing personal stories and making my own films, I equally enjoy helping others in their writing process. Several students came to me with their ideas, not knowing how to develop them, and I have been able to help them write a script or sometimes just a dialog. I love brainstorming a storyline and creating characters with another person, putting in both our own views and ideas until the final product stands on its own. 

-And what does the future look like?

I have been hired to write my first film for an independent production company, based on a producer’s original idea, so the next step is to continue the research phase before sending in an application for funding at The Icelandic Film Centre. Hopefully, I will get to work on set this summer and continue writing and developing my own ideas. I want to write the feature version of my graduation film and also have several ideas for short fiction, documentary, and music projects.