Chichester Cinema at New Park
Séraphine
True moving story, and winner of 7 Ceasars, of a Parisian cleaning woman who became a famous primitive painter returns after last year’s sell out screening.
In 1914, Wilhelm Uhde, a famous German art collector, rents an apartment in the town of Senlis, forty kilometres away from Paris. The cleaning lady is a rather rough-and-ready forty-year-old woman who is the laughing stock of others.
One day, Wilhelm who has been invited by his landlady, notices a small painting lying about in her living room. He is stunned to learn that the artist is no other than Séraphine. Seraphine de Senlis, ( who died in a French mental institution in 1942).
She did not paint for money or fame, although she grew heady when they began to come her way. She painted because she was instructed to by her guardian angel. Sometimes while painting, she would loudly sing in praise of the Holy Virgin.
In this miraculous film we learn nothing of her low birth or early life; we only see her daily toil and nightly ecstasy "Seraphine" arrives from France as the year's most honoured film, winner of seven Cesars from the French Academy, including best film and best actress. The actress is Yolande Moreau, who combines a plain face with moments of beauty. Our final film is an absolute gem which won the audience award for best film in this year’s Chichester Film festival.
Part of the SPIRITUAL CINEMA SEASON
France · 
Belgium · 2008 · Martin Provost · 126min
