Atlas Close-Ups
AND STILL I RISE
Synopsis
Aravane Rézaï hates tennis. Yet, at the age of 23, she won the Madrid Open, one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world. She bested some of the biggest names in women's tennis, including Venus Williams, Justine Henin, and Marion Bartoli. The road to being named world champion was open to her. Then, at 24, she disappeared from the circuit overnight. Today, Rézaï is 37 and making a comeback, aiming to return to the world's top 10. To get there, she has called on her old coach: her father, the man behind her past success—and suffering. Through the prism of this sporting challenge, And Still I Rise examines the relationship between a father and his daughter, and her ability to achieve emancipation.
Director’s statement
Since I met Aravane Rézaï, she has expressed her desire to return to competition. This inspired me to make a documentary. She wants a film about her comeback, whereas I seek to explore something deeper. Rézaï's comeback raises questions about why she stopped competing so abruptly 13 years ago, and the paradox this creates today. Both aspects are closely linked to the figure of Arsalan, her father: because of him, she stopped playing; because of him, she plans to return to the court. I soon realized that at the heart of this story lies a universal issue: the difficulty of the emancipation of children from their parents. With this in mind, this film sets out to paint a dual portrait of Rézaï and her father, highlighting two opposing sufferings that resonate with each other.
Biographies
Djanis Bouzyani is a French actor, director, and screenwriter. He is best known for his roles in Hafsia Herzi's You Deserve a Lover (2019), for which he was nominated for the César Award for Best Male revelation in 2020, and in Lisa Azuelos' I Love America (2022). Bouzyani also trained as a dancer, but his primary passion remains tennis.
David Coujard has been an associate producer at Agat Films & Cie and Ex Nihilo since 2013. He has produced series for television, including Louis XXVIII (2023) and Toutouyoutou (2022), and feature-length films such as Basse Saison (2021), South Sentinal (2022), and Amore Mio (2023).
