It's tough being a female director in France. The boys have all the fun,
define the critical agenda, and then take all the credit. Catherine
Breillat, current thinking-crumpet woman, made six films before she
stormed world festivals with Romance, heralding the new Nouvelle
Vague. Sensational or sensationalist, the film grabbed headlines for
its uncompromising depiction of real sexual intercourse. It
challenged the notoriously stuffy BBFC, and opened the way for the
legal availability of hardcore porn in Britain. Her next film, A Ma
Soeur (Fat Girl), was a stunning stand-out at Berlin 2001.
