What Makes Scars We Love So Special? An interview with Director Raphael Jouzeau and Francescar Betteni-Barnes

My guests today are writer/director Raphael Jouzeau and producer Francesca Betteni-Barnes and their award winning short film SCARS WE LOVE.

Raphaël Jouzeau is a cartoonist, illustrator, and filmmaker. He works as a storyboarder on various live-action and animation projects, notably on the series Boys Boys Boys directed by Valentine Vendroux. He is also an animator for Hermès, the luxury brand bringing their illustrators' designs to life.

Producer Francesca Betteni-Barnes studied modern literature and philosophy in Italy, she moved to Paris at the age of 23 with a one-year scholarship to the École normale supérieure.  She began a PhD in Film History, but meeting a film producer changed her path: she left university to pursue independent production. 

She is one of the founders of Balade Sauvage production, where she has produced short films and two feature films, including a documentary and a fiction feature film.

Their newest short film SCARS WE LOVE has been Oscar-qualified and was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024.

Ladies and gentlemen, SCARS WE LOVE is an award winning animated short from France. The story is about Gaspard, who is still very much in love with Leïla. They meet in a crowded bar a month after she left him. The conversation turns awry and Gaspard seeks refuge under the tablecloth, away from prying eyes and closer to his memories.

For an animated short film, it is moves with great emotion. Each scene takes the audience into the relationship between Gaspard and Leila. You feel Gaspard’s love for Leila as well as her desire to see the real Gaspard, but he keeps his emotions close to his heart.

The SCARS WE LOVE is a true love story that ends like so many others around the world and there is a sadness there. Sometimes the waves of emotion are so strong that we fight against the current instead of moving along with them. We would probably be better off if we did.

The animation is wonderful and the music score by Pierre Oberkampf is beautiful and adds so much emotion to the film. SCARS WE LOVE is now an Oscar-qualified animated short film and deserves it. #animation #frenchfilm #filmmaker #shortfilm #cinema #interview #film #lovestory #tragiclovestory #filmmaking #filmdirector #animatedshort