Juliette Cochet and Manuel Zopiyaxtle were tired of going from audition to audition and decided to take their career into their own hands.
They recently debuted their film Gothic Girls Are Right, which was written and directed by Zopiyaxtle and edited and produced by Cochet. Both also starred in the film, with Zopiyaxtle playing a guy unlucky in love and Cochet playing a gothic girl who’s a little crazy.
This was Zopiaxtle’s first time directing, which meant the extra challenge of learning to direct while starring in the film.
“I’m normally just focused on like learning my lines, doing character work and objectives, and just focusing on being there. And then I discovered as a director, there’s a lot of things out there that I’m not focusing on: the lights and the way people are on set, are they good, are they comfortable? Is everyone feeling like we’re gonna be there on time…So it was just a different stress,’ explained Zopiaxtle.
The struggle of editing film
Cochet says her main struggle is editing the film, as she had to balance both their visions for the final project.
“Editing in general is so difficult and challenging. It is crazy. It made me angry, but it was a lot of fun, and I think we got to a good ending,” explained Cochet.
Othe collaborations
This isn’t the first project they’ve worked on together.
They’ve filmed two other short films titled The Impossible Read and Love Stare.
Love Stare was made spontaneously during dinner with Cochet’s family.
“We shot it with just an iPhone, and it was just a stupid idea, and I was having fun, and I did the editing in an hour, and then to me it feels more effective as a movie than the first one that I spent days working on. So I think sometimes when you have a good idea, you’ve got to just act on it rather than thinking and organizing and preparing,” said Cochet.
Other film wins award at New York Movie Awards
Love Stare won Best Super Short Film at the New York Movie Awards 2025, and was a semifinalist at Paris Lady MovieMakers Festival 2025.
With multiple short films under their belts, Zopiaxtle and Cochet take pride in controlling their careers.
“I feel like when you take ownership of the roles that you want in the movies that you want, things just start to get better for you as a person and as an actor, because you’re not waiting for things to happen to you,” explained Zopiaxtle.
Not only do they feel pride, but also a sense of freedom.
“It was nice as an actress to just be able to play something that I was never given. Sometimes people typecast you as something very specific, and it’s normal, and it’s great. It’s the industry. That’s how it works. But I just wanted to do something different and something weird without ever caring about ruining somebody else’s vision,” said Cochet