Director Berangere McNeese’s short film Matriochkas focuses on a young teenage girl who discovers she is pregnant. This topical film has received numerous accolades including the CVB Best of the Festival Award at the 2020 Palm Springs International ShortFest, the 2020 Magritte for Best Short Film, the 2020 Best Foreign Film Award at LA ShortFest, and the 2020 Grand Prize for Best Director at the Flicker’s Rhode Island International Film Festival.
Synopsis: Anna, sixteen, lives with Rebecca, her mother. Anna started to discover her own sensuality. When Anna learns that she is pregnant, her mother sees herself in her, at the same age.
Director Berangere McNeese is a Belgian/American director who wrote, directed, and produced her first short The Sleep Of The Amazons in 2015 which received Awards at national and international film festivals. Her second film, Pure Bodies, in which she collaborated with Guillaume de Ginestel followed the same path. Matriochkas is her third short-film. Currently, in the process of writing her first feature film, and a series, as well as directing a short documentary for Canal+ about young women who compete in stock-car racing in the North of France, Berangere is also an actress who has starred in various TV series, short films, and feature films across Europe.
The Official Trailer for Matryoshkas directed by Berangere McNeese
Matriochkas was produced by Hélicotronc (Belgium) and Punchline Cinema (France). Producer Julie Esparbes is a Belgian producer who has produced award-winning short films shown at prestigious festivals (Palm Springs, Clermont-Ferrand, Rotterdam, Angers…) and sold to major broadcasters like Arte or France Télévision. She has also produced the successful television show “The break”, available on more than 100 territories (notably on Netflix). Julie is producing her few first feature films as a producer: Madly in life by Ann Sirot and Raphaël Balboni, Dalva by Emmanuelle Nicot and Chiennes de vies by Xavier Seron, the last two films both to be shot in summer 2021.
Co-Producers Lucas Tothe and Sylvain Lagrillère founded their French production company Punchline Cinema in 2011 which has developed and produced over twenty short films, leading to the screening at prestigious film festivals. In 2017, Punchline produced two of the competing films for the Cesar for Best Short Film, Goliath by Loïc Barché, and Marlon by Jessica Palud. They are also producing their first feature films: Eldorado by Jessica Palud and Flash in the pan by Loïc Barché. Both films will be shot in summer 2021.
Cinematographer Olivier Boonjing has worked with many award-winning films including Dimanches, Je me tue à le dire, Parasol, Le film de l’été (Prix Jean Vigo 2017), Matriochkas, Lola vers la Mer (Nominated for Best Foreign Film at Cesars 2020), La Trêve (Netflix Original). He recently finished shooting Carpe Diem, the first feature of director Emmanuel Marre.
Matriochkas screened at Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival (November 13th – November 21st), Amarcort Film Festival (November 24th – November 29th), and Bogotá Film Festival – Bogoshorts (December 8th – December 15th).
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