At the University of Paris I, where they studied dramatic arts, specializing in cinema, people used to mistake them for twins. They are, in fact, both Geminis. One thing is for sure, though: for the last ten years, Bénédicte and Magaly have been on the same wavelength: the same sense of humour, the same freedom in their writing, the same passion for the cinema. It is not surprising, then, that they should have both reacted in the same way when they stumbled on a documentary on male bars in Japan and brothels for women in Switzerland. "It was a really decisive moment," says Magaly, who inherited a punch to be reckoned with from her boxing-teacher mother. "We were sure we'd found a real subject: tackling feminine desire and women's liberation not in a tormented way, but with humour and a light touch."
A long way from director Catherine Breillat's intellectual approach, their project, Un garçon s'il vous plaît, draws on the playful world of comics and cartoon strips. The promised result: an oxygen bubble, a real look at women, but also a lively and humorous social comedy that talks about sex and friendship and follows on directly from Romantique ta mère, the short film already made by our two incorrigible college friends. With their heads brimming with ideas, the women assess their prize at its fair value: "A special commendation for a very special project: that makes sense, don't you think?"

Achievements since receiving the Special Commendation
Bénédicte Achard and Magaly Richard Serrano have worked on two episodes of Léa tout simplement. They have also worked together on the creation of the daily serial Plus belle la vie, a half-hour programme on France 3. 550 episodes have been broadcast since September 2004. The series is described as a "neighbourhood serial anchored in today's society, which traces the lives of people living in the working-class district of Le Mistral in Marseille." The series attracts four million viewers every evening.
Bénédicte Achard has also been involved in Ma terminale, a series of half-hour programmes following students in their final year of school, broadcast on M6. She is currently working on a thriller mini-series for Cipango and is writing sketches for Friday Wear on Filles TV, the channel for teenage girls.