In-I In Motion,' the film Juliette Binoche directed after encouragement from Robert Redford

"In the fall of 2008, Juliette Binoche put her foot down and decided, in a radical change, to dance. But not just in any old way. She would do it alongside the prestigious British dancer and choreographer Akram Khan. And not even with an existing piece, but together, over nearly six months of rehearsals, they would research, create, and assemble a work that would combine the best of both worlds, capitalizing on their apparent weaknesses and contradictions."

"Binoche ended up dancing and Khan acting, and in the work In-I, the fears of a man who had suffered racism and discrimination due to his skin color and his Muslim faith would merge with those of a woman harassed in a world that of cinema with a tyrannical stance over bodies and hierarchies. The following year they staged it for 100 performances with sets by Anish Kapoor and music by Philip Sheppard all over the world, with no further ambition, until Robert Redford came along."

"The video call with a smiling Binoche, 61, takes place mid-morning on September 16 in Paris. As such, the anecdote the actress tells about why she directed In-I in Motion jokingly blaming Redford takes on another dimension when, three hours later, the Hollywood legend's death is announced. The interview comes about because that stage journey has been captured in In-I In Motion, which premiered last Saturday at the San Sebastian Film Festival, marking Binoche's directorial debut."

Juliette Binoche decided in 2008 to take on dance and partnered with British choreographer Akram Khan to create a new piece from scratch. They spent nearly six months researching and rehearsing, combining their differing strengths and contradictions. In In-I, Binoche danced while Khan acted, blending Khan's experiences of racism and discrimination tied to skin color and Muslim faith with Binoche's experiences of harassment and cinema's hierarchical control over bodies. The piece toured worldwide for 100 performances with sets by Anish Kapoor and music by Philip Sheppard. Robert Redford urged filming, and the rehearsals and performance were captured in the film In-I In Motion.

Read at english.elpais.com