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The Birth Of NaikeeClémentine Decremps
Naikee recreates Botticelli’s Venus with three other gender diverse people of color to reflect on binary beauty norms.
By revisiting key moments in Naikee’s journey toward self-definition, The Birth of Naikee challenges the rigid heteronormative frameworks of a society still deeply attached to binary structures. Through a reinterpretation of Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus, Naikee asserts her right to become an image-maker and claim visibility. |
How did the collaboration between yourself and Naikee come about and did the intended focus of the film change at any point while you were making it?
I met Naikee several years ago, before her transition. We were part of the same group of friends. I was doing research for a potential documentary on a different topic, and we started talking as part of my research. Pretty soon, our conversations took a different turn because she was in the midst of questioning her gender identity. I then began recording our conversations regularly as she told me about the progress of her transition. Based on those recordings, I wrote a film. I had Naikee read the treatment, and with her approval, we began seeking funding with my producers at Laïdak Films.
I met Naikee several years ago, before her transition. We were part of the same group of friends. I was doing research for a potential documentary on a different topic, and we started talking as part of my research. Pretty soon, our conversations took a different turn because she was in the midst of questioning her gender identity. I then began recording our conversations regularly as she told me about the progress of her transition. Based on those recordings, I wrote a film. I had Naikee read the treatment, and with her approval, we began seeking funding with my producers at Laïdak Films.
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Meanwhile, Naikee continued her transition and kept me updated on what was happening for her and how she was feeling. Once we were able to secure the funds to shoot the film, I adjusted the treatment to reflect where Naikee was in her journey. Initially, only Naikee was supposed to recreate the painting of Venus, but she suggested organizing a support group since she had started facilitating them, and thus recreating not just one Venus but many Venuses—plural and diverse—which she felt was a more accurate representation of beauty.
As for the voice-over, we re-recorded it right at the end of filming after I’d done a first cut. So, of course, what Naikee says is different from what I had in my script, which was based on recordings from two years ago. |
While being a documentary, there are several stunning dream-like shots in the film, such as Naikee smoking in a haze-filled room. Is this style present in all of your work? And do you find that the documentary genre mixes easily with surreal visuals?
It’s a documentary, but it was shot somewhat like a fictional film as I had a very clear vision of how I wanted to portray Naikee, based on our friendship, what she shared from her journey with me and the research I’d done beforehand. Since it’s a film about the images that shape us, we had a mood board featuring images from popular culture and other more personal references.
It’s a documentary, but it was shot somewhat like a fictional film as I had a very clear vision of how I wanted to portray Naikee, based on our friendship, what she shared from her journey with me and the research I’d done beforehand. Since it’s a film about the images that shape us, we had a mood board featuring images from popular culture and other more personal references.
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While these elements infuse the composition of many of the shots by the talented cinematographer Dorothea Pilz, for me, the very essence of the project was to include even more staged interludes that function like paintings. This visual approach is something that is indeed very present in my directing style, but I believe it suited the subject well. Among these tableaux, one can recognize “Portrait of Madeleine” by Marie-Guillemine Benoist (1800) or the cover of a Grace Jones album. Of course, not every documentary lends itself to such aestheticization, but I thought it could work in this case because the film itself deals with the power of images.
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The film showcases many personal moments of Naikee, including her injecting herself with hormones. Were there moments you considered including in the film that you or your protagonist ultimately deemed too personal? How do you go about making those decisions?
We decided together beforehand exactly what we were comfortable showing, and that we absolutely did not want a sensationalist result, but rather a tender portrait of a woman becoming an image-maker. During filming, if Naikee didn’t feel comfortable, she’d let me know and I’d adjust the approach with the team—for example, recording her voice one-on-one with a sound engineer who didn’t speak French so she’d feel more at ease, as if we were having a conversation together on her couch, without any pressure. Another important element was for Naikee to validate all the team members and recommend people she knew, like the fantastic set designer and stylist Joan Ling-Li Nesbit Chang.
We decided together beforehand exactly what we were comfortable showing, and that we absolutely did not want a sensationalist result, but rather a tender portrait of a woman becoming an image-maker. During filming, if Naikee didn’t feel comfortable, she’d let me know and I’d adjust the approach with the team—for example, recording her voice one-on-one with a sound engineer who didn’t speak French so she’d feel more at ease, as if we were having a conversation together on her couch, without any pressure. Another important element was for Naikee to validate all the team members and recommend people she knew, like the fantastic set designer and stylist Joan Ling-Li Nesbit Chang.
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Naikee recorded videos during the recovery of the procedures she underwent, and placed her full trust in me to use them. However, I made sure to show her the film’s cut to ensure I had her full consent before finishing it. It was a very moving moment.
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The title of the film is clearly inspired by Botticelli’s painting “Birth of Venus” which is recreated by Naikee and several other gender diverse people in your film. Can you discuss why Naikee chose this particular painting as inspiration for the photography project in your film?
I suggested this painting to Naikee because it represents an icon of popular culture: it has been reimagined and reinterpreted by many artists as well as brands—whether in their campaigns or printed directly on clothing—and continues to inspire the society even though it is five centuries old. It’s somehow ingrained in all of us. When I suggested this painting to Naikee, she actually showed me that she had a tattoo on her leg inspired by the painting itself… so the choice quickly became obvious to us. The fact that it’s Venus and that she embodies an ideal of beauty and femininity is, of course, essential—especially since the figure of Venus in the painting is very passive and melancholic, and thus not a very contemporary image of femininity. For my part, since I became a mother when I wrote the treatment, my motivation was also to show my future daughter a role model who was more diverse and stronger. The project to recreate the painting is therefore an integral part of the film project; however, none of us knew what it would look like, since it was influenced by the discussion with Naikee’s guests. The photographer at the end is merely an allegory for society’s gaze and not a real photoshoot: the Venuses take their own photos and become the image-makers themselves.
I suggested this painting to Naikee because it represents an icon of popular culture: it has been reimagined and reinterpreted by many artists as well as brands—whether in their campaigns or printed directly on clothing—and continues to inspire the society even though it is five centuries old. It’s somehow ingrained in all of us. When I suggested this painting to Naikee, she actually showed me that she had a tattoo on her leg inspired by the painting itself… so the choice quickly became obvious to us. The fact that it’s Venus and that she embodies an ideal of beauty and femininity is, of course, essential—especially since the figure of Venus in the painting is very passive and melancholic, and thus not a very contemporary image of femininity. For my part, since I became a mother when I wrote the treatment, my motivation was also to show my future daughter a role model who was more diverse and stronger. The project to recreate the painting is therefore an integral part of the film project; however, none of us knew what it would look like, since it was influenced by the discussion with Naikee’s guests. The photographer at the end is merely an allegory for society’s gaze and not a real photoshoot: the Venuses take their own photos and become the image-makers themselves.
How does your extensive experience as a film editor influence your craft as a director?
It’s hard to answer because I started out working in editing, so I only know directing in conjunction with editing. Surprisingly, even though I usually like to have options during editing, I shoot in a very segmented way, with very specific ideas about the shots I envision. As you can see in the film, I like to work with sound and visual overlays and transform the raw footage. Editing is what I love most in the world; I find it fascinating, meditative, challenging, and fun, too.The set is more difficult for me because I have to step out of my bubble; I have to make myself heard and understood and it’s also more limited in time, so sometimes I have to give up on some ideas. But I enjoy doing it and I’m always very grateful for everyone teaming up with me and getting as close as possible to my original idea.
It’s hard to answer because I started out working in editing, so I only know directing in conjunction with editing. Surprisingly, even though I usually like to have options during editing, I shoot in a very segmented way, with very specific ideas about the shots I envision. As you can see in the film, I like to work with sound and visual overlays and transform the raw footage. Editing is what I love most in the world; I find it fascinating, meditative, challenging, and fun, too.The set is more difficult for me because I have to step out of my bubble; I have to make myself heard and understood and it’s also more limited in time, so sometimes I have to give up on some ideas. But I enjoy doing it and I’m always very grateful for everyone teaming up with me and getting as close as possible to my original idea.
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Clémentine Decremps is a French director and film editor based in Berlin. As an editor, she worked with renowned artists like Wim Wenders and specialises in art-house cinema and installations. After gaining experience as a director in the commercial field, she developed her own projects, like DEAR DIARY and THE BIRTH OF NAIKEE.
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