Born in France in 1987, Marion Burger is a production designer on several feature films including Divines by Houda Benyamina (Caméra d’or 2016), Gagarine by Jérémy Trouilh and Fanny Liatard (Cannes 2020) and more recently Mother and Son by Léonor Serraille (Cannes 2022). On this occasion, she has been awarded the Young Film Technician Prize for her work. Based on her personal story, Emperor marks her directorial debut.

EMPEROR is born from a true story. The story of Marion’s father, who has been suffering from aphasia for the past fifteen years. He confuses words, and stumbles over each syllable. He understands everything, but can no longer make himself understood.

More than the medical aspect of his condition, she was interested in the poetry of some of the absurd situations which she had sometimes encountered. One day she found herself comparing aphasia to a distant country. She could see him lost in this faraway land, trying to find his bearings, attempting to be understood. This idea helped her imagine his distress, and a bridge to try to reach him. But in order to grasp what he was trying to say, she’d have to delve into the man he had once been.
EMPEROR is at once a deeply personal story, and a universal reminder of the frail threads which keep us tethered to one another.