Sages-femmes
Midwives

Khadija Kouyaté
Sages-femmes | Midwives by Léa Fehner
FRA 2023, Panorama
© Geko Films

Héloïse Janjaud
Sages-femmes | Midwives by Léa Fehner
FRA 2023, Panorama
© Geko Films

Quentin Vernede, Lucie Mancipoz, Simon Roth, Marine Gesbert, Héloïse Janjaud, Tarik Kariouh
Sages-femmes | Midwives by Léa Fehner
FRA 2023, Panorama
© Geko Films
Léa Fehner’s Sages-femmes is a sensitive and searing exposé of the aberrations of a totally underfinanced health system, and the many facets of a key profession that is too often undervalued. Capturing moments large and small with a camera that, like the midwives, rarely pauses, the director brings us closer to the daily life of the entire staff at the hospital. Her approach is subtle, quotidian and unadorned, and reveals both the personal and political ramifications of a broken system.
With
- Khadija Kouyaté (Sofia)
- Héloïse Janjaud (Louise)
- Myriem Akheddiou (Bénédicte)
- Quentin Vernede (Valentin)
- Tarik Kariouh (Reda)
- Lucie Mancipoz (Charlotte)
- Marine Gesbert (Marilyn)
- Fleur Fitoussi (Capucine)
- Marushka Jury (Marushka)
- Toulou Kiki (Mariam)
- Simon Roth (Antoine)
- Richard Legall (Grégoire)
Crew
Director | Léa Fehner |
Screenplay | Léa Fehner, Catherine Paillé |
Cinematography | Jacques Girault |
Editing | Julien Chigot |
Music | José Fehner |
Sound Design | Pierre Bariaud, Sarah Lelu |
Sound | Emmanuelle Villard |
Sound Mixing | Gilles Benardeau |
Production Design | Thomas Grezaud |
Costumes | Marine Galliano |
Make-Up | Morgane Leverd |
Casting | Leila Fournier, Inès Fehner |
Assistant Director | Delphine Daull |
Production Manager | Samuel Bilboulian |
Producer | Grégoire Debailly |
World Sales
Pyramide International
Produced by
Geko Films
Arte France

Léa Fehner
The director in conversation with the audience.
Sages-femmes · Panorama · Feb 19, 2023

Khadija Kouyaté
The leading actor during the Q&A.
Sages-femmes · Panorama · Feb 19, 2023

Film Team
Sages-femmes · Panorama · Feb 19, 2023
Léa Fehner

The director studied at La Fémis film school in Paris, France. While studying, she undertook two internships abroad, one at the Film Centre of Bamako, the other in Cambodia with the director Rithy Panh. Her first film Silent Voices screened at numerous festivals including Venice and Deauville, won the Louis Delluc Prize for Best First Film and was nominated for a César. Les ogres won the VPRO Big Screen Award at Rotterdam in 2016. Sages-femmes is her third film.
Filmography
2007 Sauf le silence; short film 2009 Silent Voices 2016 Les ogres 2022 Sages-femmes (Midwives)
Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2023