Tangente: Ariane, were you familiar with the world of cinema before this film? How did you meet Anna?**
Ariane: To tell the truth, before I met Anna, I knew absolutely nothing about the world of cinema—and it was Anna who found me. That encounter changed everything. It marked the beginning of a new, deep and genuine friendship. It also gave me an opportunity to explore questions that many people ask themselves: why do we love mathematics? Why do we do mathematics? I see that as a mission.
Anna, what gave you the idea for this film? Did you, too, discover a world you had not expected?
Anna: When I was about 20, a long illness led me to isolate myself, withdraw into myself and cut myself off from the outside world; returning to normal life was a slow and difficult process. When I emerged, I felt out of step with other young people my age. I wanted to draw on the emotions I had experienced without telling my own story. I thought of the closed world of the grandes écoles and discovered the world of mathematicians: unconventional and extraordinarily passionate people. It was a world I knew absolutely nothing about—a very, very male-dominated world. You notice that immediately. Just like my own field. We had to fight for women to become directors and be recognized. There are still far too few of them.
A deep kinship --------------------