Élodie Lélu
Directing
Biography
Élodie Lélu (March 21, 1982 – August 13, 2024) was a French Belgian filmmaker and writer known for her innovative work in both fiction and documentary films. Celebrated for her ability to blend drama and comedy, her work often explored themes of feminism, family, and the intersection of personal and societal struggles. Throughout her career, she garnered international recognition and several accolades, including awards for several of her films. Born in Rennes, Ille-et-Vilaine, France, Lélu pursued studies in Art History in Paris before enrolling at INSAS in Belgium, where she settled. She began her career directing documentaries such as Vénus Khoury-Ghata, poète franco-libanaise: Une poésie française aux saveurs de l'Orient (2005). Transitioning to fiction, she received widespread acclaim for her debut short film, Leçons de conduite (2012), which addressed abortion with humor and levity, earning multiple international awards. Her first feature film, Colocs de choc (developed under earlier titles such as Mamie Alzhie and C’est de famille!), combined humor and emotional depth to tackle Alzheimer’s disease while revisiting feminist themes. Lélu's work frequently explored the complexities of family dynamics, as exemplified in Retro Therapy (2024), her critically acclaimed feature that depicted a teenager’s relationship with her ailing grandmother. Beyond her fiction projects, Lélu created poignant documentaries such as Lettre à Théo (2012), a tribute to her collaborator, Greek filmmaker Theo Angelopoulos, and La Vie Rêvée des Embryons (2021), which delved into the challenges of parenthood and assisted reproduction. Her final documentary, Le Rêve des cigognes (2024), continued to explore these intimate themes.
Known For
Yvonne loses her mind and confuses her teenage granddaughter, Manon, with her deceased daughter. Manon plays the role of the mother she never knew, reviving her grandmother's years of feminist activism. In this troubled game, Manon will learn to become a woman.
Retrotherapy
Based on her own experience, which she extends through the testimonies of other infertile people, director Élodie Lélu shows how Medically Assisted Procreation modifies the relationship to the body and to the imaginary.
Dream of Storks
The filmmaker Théo Angelopoulos died on January 24th, 2012, knocked down by a motorbike on the set of his final film. In his unfinished film, he was telling the destinies of the victims of the Greek crisis. The list of victims of the crisis has only grown longer, this destitution echoing another that Théo had sensed was coming: that of the massive arrival of refugees who find themselves trapped in Greece by the closure of the borders. Yet citizen resistance is being organized and fights every day to bring those in danger of obliteration out of the shadows. Ironically, the ambulance supposed to come to his rescue broke down because budgetary restrictions had made it impossible to maintain the vehicle. The crisis itself killed Théo. This is a letter addressed to him in the form of a film.
Letter to Theo
A deeply personal look at the life of Greek filmmaker Theo Angelopoulos, one of the foremost representatives of Greek cinema. His life reflects the tragedies faced by an entire nation during the oppressive era of military dictatorship. It is a story of boundless ambitions, hope, love and the responsibilities that haunt every artist, even after death.
Theo Angelopoulos: The Internal Journey
A 17-year-old girl who has just discovered that she is pregnant is obliged to take her outspoken grandmother along on a driving lesson.