SUNDAY IN THE CITY
Episode 6
With Mounia Wissinger,
SVP Global marketing and publicity at Protagonist Pictures
All season I've asked the same questions to people who live between places.
People who carry cities in them, the way you carry a smell or a song.
We close with Mounia Wissinger, SVP Global marketing and publicity at Protagonist Pictures.
Cinephile, traveller. German and Tunisian, raised in Tunisia, an indie film life that runs through Paris, Cannes, Los Angeles. I caught her just off the Croisette, Cannes still ringing in her ears. Way too intense, she said. Naturally.
Which city took you the longest to understand?
Paris - and I don't think I understand it even now! I have lived there for about 15 years give or take, perfected my French Parisian accents, mastered the nonchalant attitude, sat in cafés for hours with a glass of wine and a pack of Vogues, but I don't think I ever felt Parisian. It might be the cultural differences 9I'm German and Tunisian), it might be that no one ever cracked the code nor ever will - and maybe that's the allure of evermore mysterious Paris.
Where do you go when you need to disappear for a while?
I am lucky to have dear friends who live all over the world, but when I need to get away my safe place would be either in Barcelona with my friend Maud or near Marseille with my friend Anne-Lise. I grew attached to both cities because of the memories I built there with friends, but the fact that they're both Southern cities is also drawing me in as they remind me of Tunisia, where I grew up. More specifically, the smell of night blossoming jasmine in both places feel very comforting to me.
Which city disappointed you at first,
and why did you return anyway?
Los Angeles - I travel there for work quite a bit, and I think the whole vibe of the city did put me off for a very long time. At first, it's very much in love with its own myth, and you can meet easily a lot of people obsessed with body image, only looking to make connections in the film industry - oh, the drifting stare when they realize I am not a big studio exec but a humble indie film person... However, as I had to go back regardless for work, I started to find pickets of the city that are very different, with their own local life and art scene. I grew very fond of Los Feliz! So I keep going back but now I am looking forward to escaping the West Hollywood/ Santa Monica film hub to explore new neighborhoods.
When someone you care about is going
through a difficult time, where do you send them?
I don't really send them to a city, but I do send them, or rather accompany them, to an exhibition at a museum or art gallery. I really believe that experiencing art is a great way to get out of yourself for a moment and be reunited with what makes humanity so special and beautiful - in other words I believe that yes, art will save the world.
Which city makes you want to be more elegant?
I have been to Mexico City recently and the sheer beauty, excitement of the city, with its amazing architecture and lush vegetation, really made me want to step up my game! It made me regret all my vacation clothes - and drove me to all the super cool local brands and thrift stores. No regrets.
An address you would share
with someone you are attracted to?
Maybe my home address?
SUNDAY IN THE CITY is published on partant.eu.
Subscribe to follow the series.
PARTANT is a weekend in a European city.
For the culturally restless. Take part →
Emmanuel Denizot for PARTANT