New Aquitaine makes its cinema on NoA

At the start of the year, festivals dedicated to culture are gradually revealing their programming, whether they are events dedicated to Music, dance, literature or even cinema. Flashbacks and spotlights on three festivals dedicated to the 7th art in New Aquitaine. It was a few months ago. Rewind and return to 2024.

Finally ! It’s time to reveal the 2025 program of cultural events in New Aquitaine. And every year, we remain on the lookout for any information that will fill the empty pages of our outings calendar. Music, dance, poetry, theater, comics and even cinema festivals, the offer is so rich and diverse that it is sometimes difficult to choose. Especially since New Aquitaine is full of very interesting cultural events.

So before imagining the new sequences which will make up this new year’s film, and to help you fill your diary, we invite you to discover, in the form of a filming diary, 3 film festivals which took place at the end of 2024 in the region. And as you will see, the life of a reporter is not always easy.

It was in the middle of Storm Kirk in October 2024 that my colleague Vincent and I took the road to go to Saint-Jean-de-Luz to shoot the first sequence for the magazine To Each Their Own Festival.

The intense rains and violent winds accompanied us to the Luzian city; fortunately on arrival, the delicacies and local culinary specialties quickly comforted us and made my colleague forget that in the event of bad weather in the car, my fear makes me adopt the “ball” position (clarification: this does not wasn’t me driving).

So here we are, in the heart of the Basque Country, at the edge of the ocean to discover the Saint-Jean-de-Luz International Film Festival.

It is here, for several years, that young shoots of international cinema have been meeting to present their first or second films, whether short or feature films.

Since its creation, this festival’s mission has been to promote young talents by allowing emerging directors to meet a wide audience as well as professionals in the sector.

This is an opportunity for us to discover what we call a cinema of the future

Patrick Fabre, artistic director of the festival

The strength of this event comes from its programming : the films, screened each year at the Select cinema, are chosen meticulously by a team of enthusiasts.

It is obvious that highlighting the work of these “ young people » directors during the festival is a real boost.

For example, filmmakers like Xavier Legrand (Grand Prix in 2017 with Until the Guard), or Sophie Dupuis (Director Prize for Watchdog) were notably discovered in Saint-Jean-De-Luz.

Double originality of this festival : in addition to the presentation of first or second films, it is the spotlight on short films.

Today’s short filmmakers are tomorrow’s feature film directors

And it is this confidence given to emerging directors that also makes the event successful. With Vincent we therefore choose to attend the screening of the short films in competition. And yes ! A competition ! Besides, when you think about it, would a film festival have the same flavor without competition and without an awards ceremony? ? You have four hours!

We therefore watch 10 films and then interact with the public, in particular with Annick who came specially from Saint-Jean-d’Angély in Charente-Maritime. Difficult to decide, she ultimately gives the same rating to the four films she preferred.

And then there is also the feature film category, and the president of the jury in 2024 is none other than the director and actress Zabou Breitman who approaches her mission with a lot of pleasure, pragmatism and humility.

It’s important to support cinema in general, because it’s a big job, a film

Zabou Breitman, actress and director

After this very nice meeting (yes! She is very nice Zabou), Vincent and I have a meeting with some musicians.

Music and cinema being closely linked, we decide to take a look and an ear in the Tanka room where a tribute concert is being prepared to the singer and actress Dani who passed away in 2022.

We then meet Emilie Marsh, singer-guitarist who notably composed Dani’s last album, as well as singer Jil Caplan, author of several songs for Dani.

The soundchecks are over and we talk with the two artists.

The show entitled “ Love always » which we will attend a few hours later will plunge us into nostalgia for the Dani years, from Gainsbourg to Daho and the song Comme un boomerang will accompany us for several days.

At the end of October 2024, while the sun shines everywhere in France, fog, low skies and drizzle welcome us in Gâtine. Crossing the Deux-Sévrienne countryside, we see a few egrets and herons and we agree that the landscape is indeed ideal for filming wildlife documentaries.

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We have an appointment with the creator of the Ménigoute international ornithological film festival, Dominique Brouard. He created this event almost 40 years ago, here in the heart of Deux-Sèvres, a festival which is growing more and more each year since around 30,000 people visit this charming little village during each edition. .

Dominique Brouard tells us the genesis of this meeting, the evolution of nature, species, but also filming techniques and technology in general.

He explains to us that the public comes from very far away to marvel at the documentaries shown.

What interests me in wonder is that it produces desire, the desire to commit to the protection of biodiversity

Dominique Brouard, creator of FIFO

Given the success of this festival, in 2004 the Mainate association which runs the event set up a diploma course in partnership with the University of Poitiers: IFFCAM (French-speaking Institute for Training in Animal Cinema).

The objective : acquire the basics of audiovisual techniques specific to animal cinema.

During our visit, we also met students who had come to promote this training.

We interact with artists who exhibit at the animal art fair, the LPO (Ligue Pour la Protection des Oiseaux) is also obviously present. And then of course, we attend the screening of a documentary.

We choose : « Paul Watson, the eye of the sperm whale », by filmmaker Bruno Vienne, who has already made around forty documentaries, and who was the assistant of François Bel, one of the pioneers of cinema of nature and the animal world.

At the time of our filming, environmental activist Paul Watson was still in prison : this projection necessarily had a particular flavor. After two days spent among all these strange birds which perfectly imitate the oriole or the cuckoo, we hit the road again.

It’s October 31, it’s night and the dimly lit and foggy paths of Gâtine don’t really reassure us. Vincent warns me: “If there are ghosts or things like that, I don’t protect you, I run away ! » and I reassure him by confirming that I will do exactly the same thing in the event of strange phenomena.

A month later, we are alive.

The first thing we see when we arrive in Pessac in Gironde is the “Free Paul Watson” banner hanging on the facade of the town hall. We see there a sign… Which ? Mystery… But we left Paul Watson in Ménigoute to find him in Pessac.

This is the last stage of our filming sessions, we will discover the Historical Film Festival, dedicated, in 2024, to Spain and Portugal.

The documentaries evoke Salazar, Franco, the Carnation Revolution, Spanish painting…and the history enthusiast that I am, takes great pleasure in attending a few screenings and conferences.

The exchanges we have with François Aymé, General Commissioner of the festival, with the director Paul Le Grouyer, with the producer Félicie Roblin, and of course with the festival-goers are extremely enriching.

We also meet Arancha Gonzales, former Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, happy with this highlighting of the history of the Iberian Peninsula in Pessac. This festival is strong, powerful, the archive images are incredible and we are moved.

We are overwhelmed by violence, by the evil that man exercises towards man (…) And at the same time the resistance opposed to it allows us to restore a little faith in humanity.

Félicie Roblin, producer

Filming is over, we have to go back and prepare for the editing session.

We were able, through these three completely different events thanks to their programming, their missions, their colors, their actors, to realize that ultimately, they have in common this desire to highlight others, to transmit knowledge and the pleasure of sharing.

And that too, restores a little faith in humanity.

The magazine “To each their own festival”, to discover on .3 Noa Saturday January 25, 2025 at 6:25 p.m.

and now, for free, on the France.tv platform