style file: A Lot Can Happen on La Divanee

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thumbnail A Lot Can Happen on La Divanee
Jun 6th 2013, 20:16

Jessica Mitrani and Rossy de Palma

Last night, director Jessica Mitrani invited such pals as Threeasfour’s Gabriel Asfour, Adi Gil, and Angela Donhauser, Glenn O’Brien, and Victoria Bartlett to an intimate gathering at her exotic (think zebra-skin rugs and a grand white peacock) Tribeca apartment. The occasion was the completion of her new short film—La Divanee, starring Fatimah Azzahra—

De Palma's voice-over helps tell the story of Mitrani's heroine, who chooses to spend her entire life actively reclining on a chaise longue. “It came from a few ideas—the first being when I wake up in the morning and can just contemplate in my bed. I think those moments are quite special. And the other idea was about a reclining nude,” Mitrani explained, noting that she felt classical female nude artworks focused on women of leisure and were geared toward the male gaze. “I thought, What if I make a recline that’s very productive?” Indeed, the leading lady is just that—during the movie she gives birth, writes seven novels, and hosts a salon every Wednesday. In keeping with Mitrani’s artistic inspiration, the film’s star is nude, save what appears to be a giant strip of snakeskin draped over her body. But the director—who won last year’s ASVOFF festival with her religious hat-centric short, Headpieces for Peace—asserted that clothes, and what they represent, are essential to her films. “Fashion is narrative; it’s part of the dialogue. All my films have a fashion element because fashion is a mode of communication.”

Speaking of clothes, de Palma, who was decked out in Dolce & Gabbana, Miu Miu, and Armani, offered, “This is a very special film. Jessica has an amazing energy and sense of humor.” When asked where she’d choose to perma-lounge, de Palma responded that she wouldn’t mind spending the rest of her days in New York perched “somewhere on the High Line.”

Bartlett, whose one-eyed cat, i-D (named for the mag), has a supporting role in the film, quipped that she’s not the “reclining” type. “I’m too active. I’m not a couch potato…” That may have something to do with her latest project—a reimagining of the VPL aesthetic via high-fashion gym clothes. “We’re converting everything into activewear. It’s going to be gymwear, but it’s going to have a life that can cross from day gym to night.” The sporty endeavor is set to launch this July.

—Katharine K. Zarrella

Photo: Carly Otness/BFAnyc.com 

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