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People in the Film Sylvie WeilAuthor (niece of Simone Weil)   PLAY VIDEO CLIP "My father gave a rather macho image of my aunt ...and so I had the image of someone who was just like him except happened to be a young woman." Sylvie Weil is the niece of Simone Weil and the daughter of renowned mathematician André Weil. She is Prof. Emerita of French Literature at Hunter College, and has written several award-winning works of fiction for adults and young readers, including: My Guardian Angel and Elvina's Mirror. Her latest book is entitled At Home with André and Simone Weil. Anna BrownActivist & Political Science Prof.   PLAY VIDEO CLIP "Simone asked: Why do we allow others to carry the burden of oppression...Why do we live at ease when others are suffering?" Anna Brown teaches political science and is the Director of the Social Justice program at St Peter's College in Jersey City. She is an active member of Witness Against Torture and the Kairos community. Jeanne DuchampFormer student of Simone Weil   VIDEO COMING SOON "She began by saying 'I forbid you to have a philosophy book; I will give you everything you need." Jeanne Duchamp studied philosophy with Simone Weil at a girl's school in Bourges, France from 1934-1935 Raymonde WeilSimone Weil's first cousin   VIDEO COMING SOON "At that time it was very strange for someone in her milieu to go work in a factory..." After two years of asking, Simone Weil's 97-year-old cousin Raymonde, who grew up with Simone, finally agreed to an interview. Julia HaslettThe Filmmaker   VIDEO COMING SOON "What response does human suffering demand of us?" Filmmaker Julia Haslett was struggling with that question when she came across this line from Simone Weil: "Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity." After reading a biography of Weil, she was hooked and spent the next six years making what became An Encounter with Simone Weil. Part of her obsession with Weil grew out of years of witnessing her father and older brother suffering from mental illness. Sylvère Lotringer Literary Critic & Theorist   PLAY VIDEO CLIP "She never wanted to talk about; she wanted to be part of what she was talking about. And she could only do it if she participated in it." Professor Emeritus of French literature and philosophy at Columbia University, and Jean Baudrillard Chair at the European Graduate School. As general editor of Semiotext(e) and Foreign Agents book series he has been instrumental in introducing French theory to the United States. Florence De LussyEditor, Oeuvres Complètes   PLAY VIDEO CLIP "She compels everyone who reads her to reconsider their life...One can't come away unscathed from reading her." Florence de Lussy has devoted 27 years of her life to editing The Complete Works of Simone Weil at the Bibliothèque Nationale. Father Philippe JobertBenedictine Monk & Theologian   VIDEO COMING SOON "When she was listening to you, you saw that everything was concentrated on what you were saying." Father Jobert is a monk and theologian at Solesmes Abbey, where Weil had the first of her three mystical experiences. Soraya BroukhimPortraying Simone Weil   VIDEO COMING SOON "Truth is not discovered by proofs but by exploration; it is always experimental.” ~Simone Weil Actress Soraya Broukhim brings Simone Weil to life through her efforts to embody her in the film. Timothy HaslettJulia's older brother   VIDEO COMING SOON "There can be no apolitical scholarship." Tim Haslett was a black studies scholar, activist, and music journalist who brought attention to obscure bands ignored by the mainstream. He earned his B.A. in African-American Studies at Brandeis University and his M.A. in Africana Studies at NYU. His masters thesis on slavery and trans-generational haunting can be found here. In the 1990s, he co-founded the highly influential black cultural studies website used by scholars and students around the world.