Faites sortir les figurants

Occasionally someone drops the name of a well-known film star, like Isabelle Huppert. But for a change, this documentary is not about them, but about the extras. Extras are people without text whose presence adds life to film scenes, although they don’t play any significant role in the story. ‘Extras wanted’ advertisements, which are read out as voice-overs, make it clear that people are often looking for archetypes (‘a North African type’).

Documentary maker Sanaz Azari shows some of them while they are getting made up, chatting together between the scenes or looking at their phones. We hear directors calling out instructions and see film crews in action. Slowly we acquire a picture of these extras who transcend their inherently limited role: they become individuals and escape from the stereotype they are expected to represent. In Faites sortir les figurants they come into the foreground and are briefly given a voice.

Trailer

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