Best Picture Academy Award Nominee Reveals Her First Movie

Coralie Fargeat reveals that prior to her incredible success with 2024’s Academy Award frontrunner The Substance, she began her filmmaking career with a Star Wars fan movie. The director’s 2024 body horror feature saw Demi Moore’s Elisabeth Sparkle use a drug to develop a doppelgänger named Sue (Margaret Qualley) for her subconscious to inhabit as she attempts to hold onto her fame, only for the two to become bitter enemies. The Substance has been nominated for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling, while Fargeat and Moore were nominated for Best Director and Best Actress respectively.

While the world waits to see if The Substance can mark a major hurdle for horror at the Academy Awards, The HoloFiles shared a Letterboxd video that shone a light on Fargeat’s filmmaking beginnings. The director shared a project she developed at 17 years old, which was a homemade Star Wars fan film recreation of Return of the Jedi. Using existing tracks from John Williams’ discography and footage from the movie itself in areas, Fargeat employed stop-motion and homemade costumes to recreate key moments of the final original trilogy film with her friends.

The Substance Director Is Yet Another Filmmaker Inspired By Star Wars

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Fargeat is far from the only filmmaker who was inspired by the Star Wars saga, with Rian Johnson, J.J. Abrams, Leslye Headland, Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, and other filmmakers and artists having worked on the series as they ascend from fan to franchise contributor. Prior to the release of The Force Awakens, Peter Jackson, Ron Howard, and Guillermo Del Toro all shared how George Lucas’ saga had inspired and shaped their careers, from its storytelling to the pioneering VFX work they would use. More contemporary filmmakers, including James Gunn and Denis Villeneuve have also cited it as an inspiration.

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As a pivotal film franchise in Hollywood history, it is difficult to list directors who weren’t inspired by Star Wars in some form or another. Despite its relatively simple tale of good and evil, it provides many with a good introduction to how familiar storytelling structures and archetypes can be developed, while its filmmaking techniques pushed what could be achieved on screen further with each installment. As such, large portions of the industry today likely had their creativity sparked by the galaxy far, far away.

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Margaret Qualley's Sue toasts with a whisky tumbler in The Substance

Star Wars is one of the most influential and prolific franchises to exist, and as such, its tale goes beyond what is seen on screen. While the tales of Rebellions, Empires, and Republics may be well-known to many, the series’ production has also been extensively documented both officially and unofficially. As such, not only could an artist be inspired by the fiction, but tales of its real-world production offer a glimpse into what goes into making a movie, with the prequels, sequels, spin-offs, behind-the-scenes features, and storytelling showing how filmmaking has evolved.

Christopher Nolan's Cillian Murphy Oppenheimer and Wes Anderson character superimposed together over a classic cinema image

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As such, many may enjoy seeing Fargeat’s filmmaking start as they wait to see if The Substance can achieve an Academy Award sweep, and how like many established filmmakers and hopeful artists starting their careers, she drew influence from Lucas’ world. A work of clear passion from Fargeat and friends, her Star Wars fan film will leave many charmed and wondering how the franchise set them down their own paths.

Source: The HoloFiles