Charlotte Colbert has her finger in a lot of pies. She’s an artist unhemmed by mediums – from ceramics to installations, photography, digital sculpture, and now film – but ultimately, she says, her work is about telling stories.

“I was always a bit of a nerd, constantly confused and overwhelmed”, she recalls. “Telling stories or building narratives became a way to make sense of things; narratives give an element of control don’t they?”

And when it comes to control, Charlotte’s directorial debut with the psychological horror film She Will has been described as “incredibly assured”. But that’s not at all how she feels about it. “There is no confidence at all”, she says. “I didn’t realise that was how it read! I am riddled with doubt always.”

It’s understandable – this year, Nomadland director Chloe Zhao became only the second female ever to win the Oscar for Best Director. And in the award’s 93 year history, only seven women have ever been nominated. Despite this, Charlotte says she feels a change underfoot. “There’s a rise in female voices and it’s great to be a tiny part of that artistic conversation.”

At first, she told stories using words. “I wrote articles as a journalist in France, then studied screenwriting at London Film School.”

She longed to create films, but it was pure practicality that saw her branch into other art practices. “Initially I wanted to make films, but it takes a long time, so in the meantime I started taking pictures. Miraculously they got shown, and I guess the pent-up desire to make films meant that I increasingly included props, performers and sets and in making them started using different mediums. I have explored lots of the elements within ‘She Will’ in different mediums before - the male gaze with the Sue Tilley piece, the body and scars and even the slugs.” Ultimately, she says, “all the elements feed into each other.”

“I’m quite obsessive with work - which is very annoying for my family - but also clothes, food, everything. I will go through periods of eating the same thing every day until I can never eat it again, like sardines.” When I ask her if she has boundaries between her work and her life, she replies “that sounds like the healthy way round. Everything is linked for me and feeds into one another.”

And while Charlotte likes deadlines - they “help structure workflow and keep things moving forward”, it’s the intangible about art that she really loves. She describes art as “magic. When I go to a concert it feels like being lured by snake charmers.”

Audiences could describe Charlotte’s work the same way. Actor Malcolm McDowell described her as “the kind of woman who when she wants something she gets it, and it’s not because she’s pushy, because she isn’t.” She laughs at this, conceding “I guess I am a little OCD. Making a film gives you and your team an unbelievable sense of purpose and having a clear vision to which everyone feeds into is so important.”

When I ask her about criticism – which can be incredibly difficult to hear when you’re so personally invested in your work – she’s unphased. “I think I’m my biggest critic so no-one can be as harsh as what I already tell myself.”

But while she’s concise and to the point, when I ask her about inspiration, she is brimming with it.

“So many women now and from the past [inspire me]. Laurence Coriat is an amazing screenwriter and was my mentor at university. Were it not for her belief in me I would have stopped writing. Gaelle Denis, a brilliant filmmaker, is my go-to for notes and thoughts. Pragna Patel who runs Southwall Black Sisters is the bravest, boldest, most inspiring woman. So many.… All those who paved the way for us to have a voice and rights. It’s crazy to remember that it’s only been 50 years since women had the right to vote in Switzerland, for example.”

And with her debut film already named Best First Feature at the Locarno International Film Festival, perhaps one day the Academy will be voting on Charlotte Colbert.