“That movie was the most magical moment of my life,” said the director, whose first feature film this is, announcing her award after sending a message saying she dedicated it to all people who have been sexually abused .
How to Have Sex is about three young friends who go on holiday to a seaside resort in Crete. One would like to lose her virginity, but it will fail.
The film uses clichés about this type of vacation abroad—unlimited drinking, pool parties, cheese fries…—to tackle the serious issues of consent and rape.
The director doesn’t film these scenes but focuses on the emotions. I think as women we know this experience too well. We don’t need to be traumatized again, the 29-year-old Londoner told Agence France-Presse in Cannes.
For this film, Molly Manning Walker was particularly inspired by a sexual assault she suffered when she was 16 years old. “We should be free to drink and wear what we want without being attacked,” she added.
As a cinematographer for other filmmakers, she has also shot music videos and commercials, as well as two short films.
The Un Certain Regard section is the main parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival and is particularly dedicated to new talent. The chairman of the jury this year was the American actor John C. Reilly.