Charlotte De Cort
Charlotte De Cort is a Brussels-based writer and film director. To her, film is a beautiful way to dig under the surface of everyday life, and to turn what she finds there into her own ‘filmic’ sculpture.
In her work, Charlotte feels driven toward close skin, fragile looks, and tactile body movements to trigger the viewer’s senses. She is always looking for a glimpse into the inner world of her fellow people, especially artists, from hunger for empathy, sensuality, and enrichment – experiences she hopes to translate to her audience. Nowadays she grows in writing and directing short films, documentaries, music videos, and commercials. Alongside she is doing research at the RITCS School of Arts on the female gaze in cinema.
In all she creates, she wonders: Would it be possible to make the universe cry again? It’s worth the ride.
What inspires your work and what is your creative process?
“Dance. Dance is everywhere. A leaf swirling down is dance. A person jumping on the train is dance. Cars zipping in traffic is dance. Sex is dance. Life is one big movement, and I am the movement catcher.”
Are there any recurring themes/issues you like to address within your work? If so, can you elaborate on the ways in which you translate these themes visually?
“Central to my work is connection. It already starts on set, where I consciously connect with the actors or characters. Listen to them. Catch the best of them. Humanity, emotion, and experience: that should radiate from the screen, both in my author-oriented and commercial work. With a fresh and young vibe in the colors, dynamic camera movements, and rhythmic editing, I really want to take the viewer into an experience. I want them to have felt, dreamed, experienced something that will tickle their body or mind further on.”
What about film as a medium speaks to you? How did you get your start in it?
“I was born at home, without a doctor. So my life started as a movie. My father was terrified, my mother enjoyed giving birth in her own way. She wanted Charlotte, he wanted Lara - after the enigmatic woman in the movie ‘Dr. Zhivago’. Of course my mother won, but as a cinema lover, I feel much more related to my second name.”
Did you have any queer role models? If so, who?
“Gus Van Sant is my all time favorite director. They way he manages to fuse romanticism, realism and enchanting cinematography together.”
Are there upcoming events/projects that you would like to bring attention to?
“We will release a short film consisting of 3 music videos (it’s a trilogy) for Intergalactic Lovers this winter. I am very proud of that work.”