Little Girl (film)
{{Short description|French documentary film}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Little Girl
| native_name = {{Infobox name module|fr|Petite fille}}
| image = Petite_fille_film.jpg
| caption = Poster
| director = Sébastien Lifshitz
| producer = Muriel Meynard
| screenplay = Sébastien Lifshitz
| story =
| narrator =
| starring =
| music = Yolande Decarsin
| cinematography = Paul Guilhaume
| editing = Pauline Gaillard
| distributor =
| released = {{Film date|2020|02||Berlin}}
| runtime = 85 minutes
| country = France
| language = French
| budget =
| gross = $28,876{{Cite Box Office Mojo |id=11753696 |title= Little Girl (2020) |access-date=April 27, 2024}}
}}
Little Girl ({{langx|fr|Petite fille}}) is a 2020 French documentary film written and directed by Sébastien Lifshitz.{{Cite magazine |last=Brody |first=Richard |date=2021-09-20 |title="Little Girl," Reviewed: A Brilliantly Directed Documentary About a Transgender Child |language=en-US |magazine=The New Yorker |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/little-girl-reviewed-a-brilliantly-directed-documentary-about-a-transgender-child |access-date=2023-10-14 |issn=0028-792X}} The cinematography was by Paul Guilhaume, and the editing was by Pauline Gaillard.{{Cite web |last=Hoeij |first=Boyd van |date=2020-02-22 |title='Little Girl' ('Petite fille'): Film Review {{!}} Berlin 2020 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/little-girl-petite-fille-review-1280615/ |access-date=2022-03-06 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}} It focuses on the story of transgender seven-year-old Sasha, who was assigned male at birth but has known she is a girl since the age of four. She sees a psychiatrist with a special interest in gender who diagnoses her with gender dysphoria. The documentary follows the difficulty Sasha and her family face in helping her transition in provincial France.{{Cite web |date=2020-09-23 |title=Little Girl review – a brave child's journey to her true self |url=http://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/sep/23/little-girl-review-gender-documentary-france |access-date=2022-03-06 |website=The Guardian}}{{Cite web |last=Aguilar |first=Carlos |date=2021-09-16 |title=Review: A French mother fights for her daughter's rights in moving documentary 'Little Girl' |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-09-16/review-documentary-little-girl-sebastien-lifshitz |access-date=2023-10-14 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Lodge |first=Guy |date=2021-03-04 |title='Little Girl' Review: A Trans Girl Grows Into Herself in a Lovely, Light-Filled Documentary |url=https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/little-girl-review-1234917546/ |access-date=2023-10-14 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}
Screenings
Little Girl was screened at the Berlin International Film Festival in the Panorama Queer film section in 2020.{{Cite web |title=Petite fille {{!}} Little Girl |url=https://www.berlinale.de/en/archive-selection/archive-2020/programme/detail/202010327.html |access-date=2022-03-06 |website=www.berlinale.de}} It was shown at the Zurich Film Festival in 2020{{Citation |title=Petite fille - Zurich Film Festival |url=http://zff.com/en/archive/26837/ |access-date=2022-03-06}} and Chicago International Film Festival.{{Cite web |title=Little Girl |url=https://www.musicboxfilms.com/film/little-girl/ |access-date=2022-03-06 |website=International Films - Independent Films {{!}} Music Box Films}} In the UK, it was shown on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer under the Storyville documentary strand in 2021.{{Cite web |title=BBC Four - Storyville, Petite Fille |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000xh73 |access-date=2022-03-06 |website=BBC}}
Reception
Leslie Felperin of The Guardian gave the documentary 4 out of 5 stars, praising Guilhaume's "limpid" cinematography as "[allowing the viewer] to study every flicker of expression on the faces of Sasha and the adults around her".
Ben Dowell of The Times also gave the film 4 out of 5 stars.{{Cite web |last=Dowell |first=Ben |date=2021-07-01 |title=Storyville: Petite Fille review — film-making with a light touch and real depth |url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/storyville-petite-fille-review-film-making-with-a-light-touch-and-real-depth-t3br088tn |access-date=2022-03-06 |website=The Times}}
Awards
- Winner, European Film Award for Best Sound Designer at the European Film Awards{{Cite web |title=Little Girl / Petite Fille |url=https://europeanfilmawards.eu/en_EN/film/https%3A%2F%2Feuropeanfilmawards.eu%2Fen_EN%2Ffilm%2Flittle-girl.15249 |access-date=2022-03-06 |website=europeanfilmawards.eu}}
- The 2020 Grand Prix for Best Film at Film Fest Gent{{Cite web |title=Little Girl wins big in Ghent |url=https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/394189/ |access-date=2022-07-04 |website=Cineuropa - the best of european cinema |date=26 October 2020 |language=en}}
- Silver Hugo for Best Documentary film at the 2020 Chicago International Film Festival{{Cite web |date=2020-10-23 |title=ChiFilmFest announces the winners of its 2020 competition |url=https://reelchicago.com/article/chifilmfest-announces-the-winners-of-its-2020-competition/ |access-date=2022-07-04 |website={{!}} Reel Chicago - At the intersection of Chicago Advertising, Entertainment, Media and Production |language=en-US}}
- The Prix du public at the Rencontres Internationales du Documentaire de Montréal (RIDM) in 2020{{Cite web |last=Revert |first=Amélie |date=2020-12-02 |title=«L'Indien malcommode» et «Petite Fille» au palmarès des RIDM 2020 |url=https://journalmetro.com/culture/2584707/lindien-malcommode-et-petite-fille-au-palmares-des-ridm-2020/ |access-date=2022-07-04 |website=Journal Métro |language=fr-FR}}
- Side by Side LGBT Film Festival, Saint Petersburg 2020 Best Documentary{{Cite web |title=Side by Side LGBT Film Festival {{!}} AWARDS |url=https://bok-o-bok.com/en//awards/index.php |access-date=2022-07-04 |website=Side by Side LGBT Film Festival |language=en}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{official website|https://www.musicboxfilms.com/film/little-girl/}}
- {{IMDb title|11753696}}
{{Sébastien Lifshitz|state=expanded}}
Category:2020 LGBTQ-related films
Category:Films directed by Sébastien Lifshitz
Category:Films about trans women
Category:2020 documentary films