Paris Doc 2024

“Taking stock of documentary filmmaking as a cinema of mise-en-scene”: this was the idea that gave shape to this edition of Cinéma du Réel, along with the decision to showcase the work of three filmmakers from different corners of the cinematic map. First, with the first French retrospective dedicated to Claudia von Alemann, a pivotal figure of German feminist cinema and one unafraid to mix different languages and narrative devices. Ultimately, these varied approaches coalesce into a body of work that sits at the crossroads of political, shared and personal experience. Second, with the pioneering figure of independent US cinema, James Benning, an avid explorer of America and a keen observer of its history, whose explorations of the country’s storied and eventful landscape create an experience of time and space. Third, with Jean-Charles Hue, whose films, standing halfway between documentary and fiction, plunge us into the heart of a troubled, dangerous and intense reality, in company of the Yenish community in France and with the social outcasts of Tijuana. Documentary filmmaking spans a vast territory whose porous and changing borders allow for formal as well as narrative experimentation. The competition explores these manifold experimentations through a line-up of French and international productions, short- and feature-length, made by emergent filmmakers and acclaimed directors. Experimentation is also the through-line of First Window, a category dedicated to outstanding debut films put forward by a new generation of filmmakers. Popular Front(s) and Special Screenings complete this line-up of contemporary documentary films which investigate and provide new readings of the world we live in.    Cinéma du réel also invites viewers to set out on an alternate, more anarchic, and less definite path. Like parts of a rhizomatic process, films complete each other, look at each another: Marie-Pierre Duhamel spoke of films as “holding hands”. Films reframe the tensions that run through our present, bringing out its rugged complexity, its friction, as well as what is in plain sight: the obvious persistence of colonial power experienced by the inhabitants of overseas territories, as shown by the films of Martine Delumeau and Malaury Eloi Paisley in Guadeloupe, by the films of Cécile Laveissière and Jean-Marie Pernelle in Réunion, and by the films of Florence Lazar in Martinique; and the obvious persistence of colonial power which gradually emerges from Mati Diop’s Dahomey, this year’s opening film. Colonialism is again at issue in Soundtrack of a Coup d’Etat, which draws a connection between the American Civil Rights Movement and independence struggles in African countries. It looms large in Raphael Pillosio’s Les Mots qu’elles eurent un jour, which centres on the story of women combatants during the Algerian War, beautifully portrayed by Yann le Masson upon their release from prison. The portrait of these modern and deeply committed women who fought for freedom in 1962 is a reminder that the fight against the patriarchy is neither new nor over. Feminism, if we so choose to call it, will also be at issue in the retrospective dedicated to Claudia von Alemann, and in the films of Claudine Bories, Natacha Thiéry, Sabine Groenewegen, and Kumjana Novakova, among others. Each of these screenings will offer a chance to reflect on the political experience of women filmmakers, on their work, and on their trajectories. And then there is Gaza: not as the event suddenly bursting into our lives and leaving us stunned, as if by some suspension of time, but as something happening to us all and reshaping the way we consider the present, human relations, and our relation to the world. What is happening in Gaza, at this very moment, informs the way we watch films: not only those coming to us from Palestine, but those from Sarajevo and from the Nagorno-Karabakh as well.   Catherine Bizern

Works-in-Progress 2024

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The films in progress are selected according to their stage of production, their needs and potential in terms of diffusion, and their concordance with the editorial line of Cinéma du réel.

The selected films in progress have the opportunity to be screened, once, in their entirety, between the 27 and 28 March at the Centre Pompidou.

The professional audience is made up of carefully selected French and international experts, playing an active and strategic role in the distribution and placement of new films in the industry: festival programmers, sales agents, TV programmers, theatrical distributors, web platforms and exhibitors.

Each screening is followed by a discussion time, which can take the form of an informal meeting.

With a tailor-made offer, ParisDOC Works-in-Progress is a unique opportunity for project holders to reflect and build the path of their film in a favorable environment, and for professionals to have exclusive access to new promising projects.

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AWARD – POST-PRODUCTION SUPPORT:

In order to best support the selected projects, Studio Orlando is a partner of ParisDOC Works-in-Progress. As such, one of the selected projects benefits from post-production support (sound mix or color grading) from Studio Orlando.

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EXPERTS:

Cinéma du réel invites three experts to exchange with the project holders. As peers, they share analyses and recommendations.

Richard Copans – Producer, director and cinematographer
Antonio Pezzuto – Festival Programmer
Claire Simon – Director, screenwriter, cinematographer and editor

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We would like to extend our warmest thanks to all the producers and filmmakers who submitted their works-in-progress for this call for projects.

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Download the 2024 Presentation and Regulations Pdf: here
Consult the previous selections of ParisDOC Works-in-Progress: here

Public forum

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These discussions are structured around a theme chosen by the Friends of the Cinéma du réel association, which then ensures that the discussions run smoothly thanks to a working group set up specifically for this purpose. The aim of the Public Forum is to highlight the concerns faced by professionals in the sector in France and the issues involved in documentary production.

The Public Forum for this 46th edition of the Cinéma du réel festival is based on the following question:

Documentary creation: territories to defend

Documentary has always been a space for invention and renewal of forms. Its history, from the birth of cinema to the present day, reminds us of the great inventiveness shown by those who have defended it, from its writing to its direction, production and distribution. It has never ceased to make its way, taking different forms, from direct cinema to films that combine elements of reality and fiction in their staging. From cinemas to new distribution media and television, it remains a territory of experimentation.

How can we defend the creative freedom that is necessary for all kinds of daring in the face of possible market injunctions? How can we preserve a creative space supported by public policy while guaranteeing independence?

Morning sessions

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To encourage meetings between professionals, Cinéma du réel has created the Matinales. These 3 meetings bring together established and emerging filmmakers as well as those involved in production, distribution and research, who bring contemporary documentary to life. These discussions provide an opportunity for feedback.

Classic documentary film rendez-vous / Round Table

Classic documentary film rendez-vous / Projects

Professional Debates

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Cinéma du réel aims to be a meeting place for all those involved in documentary cinema. As such, the festival is hosting three events that give a voice to associations and collectives in order to initiate debate.