The sensuality of being alone.

Directed by Victoria Lacoste, Penelope Caillet

https://www.edelweissfilmproductions.com/
https://instagram.com/edelweissproductions

Director Statement
The world is full of love stories. But the most important one of them all is the one that is the least told. Intentionally set to War Paint’s song “Billie Holiday,” which references themes of romantic faithfulness, Renaissance is an achromatic ode to the most important love story and also the most tumultuous relationship of them all - the love we have for ourselves.

Most of us never learn how to be alone, and I mean truly alone. It can be nearly impossible to release all expectations of ourselves, even when no one else is around. Just as meaning and language is something that is given to us by centuries of those who came before us, even our concept of the self comes from others - and is so deeply baked into our identities.

Renaissance is an exploration of what it is like to truly and cosmically dive into your own depths. To be unafraid of one’s own darkness. To really dance like nobody's watching. To allow our edges to fray without the fear of coming unhinged.

Sexuality is another major theme, as it is one of the more prominent modes of self expression - both when we are alone than when we are with others. A woman’s body can exist in a sensual space without a partner - and without feeling the absence of a partner. In Renaissance, the body is alone with itself and it is content and whole. Even something that simple can be a huge statement when it’s done without compromise.”

Like its name, Renaissance is a rebirth. It is a major departure from the previous films I have produced, including Horror shorts Asking For A Friend (Directed by Kelsey Bollig, 2019) and The Fourth Wall (Directed by Kelsey Bollig, 20220), and romantic drama, Les Indociles (Directed by Pascal Arnold, 2021).

It’s a step away from traditional filmmaking and a leap towards the future of film - one where boundaries between mediums become further blurred for the purpose of expression. I believe this is the future of filmmaking. And just as how the death of a fixed medium allows for it to start fresh, so follows the death of our past selves to free us to regenerate as entirely new, limitless entities.

With my film production company Edelweiss Productions, I have the rare opportunity to follow projects that truly hit home, regardless of genre. With Renaissance, we invite the audience to imagine what else might be accomplished when we actively decide to not play by the rules. -- Victoria Lacoste