A CANNES JURY MEMBER PRESENTS HER BABYSITTER

In May, you can meet Canadian filmmaker and actress Monia Chokri at the Cannes Film Festival, where she will be a member of the short film competition jury. This weekend, she has come to Prague for Febiofest, where her new film Babysitter competes for the favour of the viewer jury in the Comedy Competition.

The story of a free-spirited nanny who turns a family upside down is based on a play – its author Catherine Léger also wrote the film script. “I contributed my ideas as a director, adding, for example, aspects of horror and erotic films, to create a stranger environment, as I see the babysitter as a character who is able to hypnotise others,” said Monia Chokri, at the post-screening discussion.

The film’s feminist theme is very relevant today, but the director deliberately gave it a 1970s visual. “For me, the film is mainly about dominance. Even in 2022, we talk about gender discrimination and equality, and I ask: Why is it still a topic? Why are we still fighting this fight? By that old aesthetic, I am saying that the theme of my film is age-old,” says the filmmaker, who also stars in the film herself.

ADDITIONAL SCREENINGS OF THE FILM AT PRAGUE IFF – FEBIOFEST 2 MAY FROM 2:15 P.M.