Art as Awakening | Interview with Director and Cinematographer Alizé Jireh from Women & the Wind

At one point during my conversation with the phenomenal lens-woman Alizé Jireh, it struck me—she’s part of a generation (25 years young) that has never known life without the Internet. It’s what enabled her to complete high school online and graduate years ahead of her peers, creating space for artistic exploration and a creative coming-of-age during puberty. But it also means she’s never experienced the disconnection that once defined travel: running through unfamiliar cities in search of an internet café, waiting to send or receive news from home. She’s lived her life consistently connected.

So imagine the moment signal drops off completely as Women & the Wind voyage kicks off across the North Atlantic. No more pings, no more messages, no more land-bound productivity. Just vast ocean, silence, waiting—and the deep, disorienting beauty of real disconnection. Immersion becomes more than theory. With camera in hand, Alizé captures the crossing with a sensitivity and gaze rarely seen in sailing or adventure films—all while battling relentless seasickness that lasted weeks. (Turns out, for some, it really doesn’t pass after a few days.)

I’ve been working with Alizé for the past 18 months as a Producer on the film she co-directed with Kiana Weltzien and Lærke Heilmann—both of whom you’ve heard from in earlier episodes of our Fire Pit Talks audio-visual series. I knew this conversation would be rich, circling an idea at the heart of my Master’s Capstone: that creativity is inseparable from life. What I didn’t expect was the remarkable self-awareness Alizé brings—evident from a young age, as she navigated the shift from a vibrant community life in the Dominican Republic, where she spent her first 12 years, to the small-town isolation of rural America.

Now, having delved deeper into her story, I see how profoundly her surroundings—family, place, community—have shaped her way of being in the world. As she grew into herself and her body, she learned to translate experience into meaning through creative expression. From singing and theatre to photography and film, Alizé has become a figurative artist most at home now behind the lens. Her work—all of it but particularly her most recent contribution with the Women & the Wind film—is a gift for anyone ready to set sail as a humble passenger.

When I started this podcast, my goal was to create a space that felt like gathering around a fire pit on the deck of a Polynesian voyaging canoe—open, uncurated, grounded in the art of the yarn. My conversation with Alizé did just that. It transported me into the warmth of shared imagination and left me with a quiet sense of joy—a reminder, in these overwhelming times, that awe and wonder still live in the smallest details. Sometimes, all it takes is adjusting your lens.

-Angie

Women & the Wind premieres globally on April 19th, in Wilmington NC (USA), where the voyage began. All screenings are now sold out.

The EU premiere will be held in Paris at Le Grand Rex Cinema on April 26th (sold out) and April 27th (selling fast), before the film and the women journey to meet us here in Brittany for back-to-back shows. A full French cinema tour follows with Around The Waves.

A final official World Tour event will be held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, whilst adjacently, community screenings will take place all over the world. Applications remain open for folks wanting to host their own screening. Get tickets or apply to host via the Women & the Wind website: https://www.womenandthewind.com/

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Fire Pit Talks is also available as an audio podcast. Visit: https://www.voyagevirage.com/podcast