I Have This Thing for Photo Booths Like Amélie Poulain
Courtesy Amélie, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001
I Have This
Thing for Photo
Booths.
On Amélie, nostalgia, the romance of a curtain, and why the photobooth is still the best thing you can put at your party.
— written with love (and a slight obsession) ✦The Amélie Effect
Ever since the French film Amélie came out in 2001, close friends and family have told me that the main character — played by Audrey Tautou — in many ways reminds them of me. My random adventures, curious personality and mischievous ways, as well as my old-fashioned perspective on love, and my passion for photo booths. Which has finally led me to becoming partner of a fotomaton business in Spain.
It was definitely not a surprise to anyone when I announced this venture, because I was looking to share something fun and nostalgic as an entrepreneur. Train rides across Europe as a teenager, waiting in station cafes, watching people sitting inside the booth — closing the curtain, giggling, the sound of the flash four times, and the finale: waiting for the print to come out. Creating little funny stories in my head about these people I watched. Lovers, children, friends — it didn't matter who. People were always happy around a photo booth.
café, Paris ☕ 01
pulls shut 🎞️ 02
✨✨✨✨ 03
the print 🖨️ 04
laughing 😄 05
approves 🌹 06
"Maybe it's the romance of taking a secret photo in Paris; maybe it's the new ease of sending off proof that you're here. Either way, it's not hard to become completely obsessed."
The director Jean-Pierre Jeunet himself was inspired by a real obsessive: Michel Folco, an author who spent a year filling an entire album with photo booth rejects he found discarded at stations. "It became a total mania," Folco said — and when he showed Jeunet the album, the seed of Amélie was planted. My story became that of the film. A classic Paris romance — thanks to Photomaton.
Nothing gets a room going faster. A photo booth gives shy guests something to do — and something to laugh about.
instant conversation starter ✦With our original backdrops, guests can't wait to post images immediately. Real organic content from real moments.
your guests do the marketing 😄The printed strip goes home. Not deleted at midnight. A physical memory of your event that lives on a fridge, a mirror, a diary.
not everything has to be digital ✦Weddings, brand launches, private parties, fashion shows, pop-ups, festivals. Lovers, children, friends — it doesn't matter who.
always happy around a booth ✦Not all booths are equal. The D-Lux is designed for resolution, colour brightness and backdrop quality that clients actually notice.
Gonzalo built it from scratch 🇬🇧With technology developing fast, the services launching next year will genuinely surprise you. We're not done yet.
watch this space... 👀My business partner Gonzalo began this journey in London, where he designed and built from scratch unique booths with superior quality in image resolution, colour brightness and backdrop design options. In a short time his portfolio of clients included some of the best brands and designers in the city, as well as the most creative spaces and innovative event organisers. Together we felt this level of quality was missing in the Spanish market — and we wanted to be part of the boom happening here.
The Selfie Era Hasn't Killed It. It Proved It.
A lot of people think that in our age of selfies, the purpose of a photo booth is no longer exciting or necessary. We feel the opposite. At every event we do, guests always have fun and engage with our booths. Something happens inside that curtain that can't be replicated on a phone screen. It's the permission to be silly. The anticipation. The physical print you walk away holding.
Even more exciting is what's coming next. With technology rapidly developing, the services we are going to offer will genuinely blow your mind. If you're curious about the industry and how it's evolved, I've also written about it on Medium — follow along.
Antakly Projects — originally Ninu Nina — has been sharing conversations, stories and discoveries with inspiring people in art, fashion, culture and creative entrepreneurship since 2003. This is a personal project, a passion project, and occasionally an entrepreneurial one.
Explore the full archive — search our interviews with photographers, designers, musicians, filmmakers and creatives from around the world.
And for the personal rants on life, opinions you didn't ask for, and the occasional existential spiral: follow me on Substack.
People are always happy around a photo booth. ✦ — Leila
page 48 🫶
Prada 👜
press release ✨
board 🏄♀️
in Madrid 🍷
and Coco ☕
Leila Antakly
My career has never moved in a straight line, and that has always been the point. It began in fashion with a formative chapter at Vogue Italia, followed by an unlikely detour into finance. From there, film, PR, events and production. A role as Director at Wilhelmina Models in Dubai sharpened an eye already trained on people worth watching. Then came the years that shaped the platform: writing, editing, producing photo shoots, a short-lived photobooth business, lots of yoga and eventually Madrid, where the light is just right. Currently I am in the States in a new and exciting field, digital marketing for higher ed, but this remains my passion project. What started as a hobby back in 2003 evolved into Antakly Projects, leading to some exciting conversations, projects, and lots of joy. Throughout all of it, my best friend, one small white Shih-poo called Coco, has been present, unimpressed, and very fluffy.
Thank you for following along, for reading these interviews, and for letting them inspire you. And last but not least — for the personal rants on life, opinions you didn't ask for, and the occasional existential spiral: follow me on Substack.
Follow on Substack ↗