These exchanges revolve around a theme chosen by Les Amis du Cinéma du réel, which sees to the smooth running of the discussions thanks to a dedicated work group set up for this purpose. The Public Forum aims to highlight the concerns facing French industry professionals, as well as the challenges linked to documentary production.
Hosted by the Cinéma du reel, this 45th edition of the Public Forum will investigate the following question:
The space of documentary creation: from utopia to a standard model?
French documentary cinema has won recognition and awards worldwide, and its vigour and singularity have helped to revitalise forms, viewpoints and talents. While it has often found itself weakened, it has managed throughout its history to invent its own economic and political path in order to survive and keep going. Today, at a time when the entire industry is concerned about the threats to creation, the unique history of documentary production must serve as a driving creative force. In our view, it is now more important than ever to analyse and share the experience of making and distributing these films about the real world – films that are constantly reinventing themselves in the face of new constraints.
This day of discussions will involve three round tables which will attempt to define the specificities of the standard model and take stock of the ongoing struggles to defend independent and creative filmmaking.