On Wednesday, November 6, early in the afternoon, a few hours after the news of Donald Trump’s election, Ben Russell muttered “Hard day”hard day The American filmmaker sits at a table in a Parisian café with his co-director, Frenchman Guillaume Cailleau. The two forties have been working together for ten years and present their documentary direct actiona deep immersion in fixed shots in the ZAD (area to be defended) of Notre-Dame-des-Landes (Loire-Atlantique): the film won the Grand Prix du Cinéma del Réel in March.
Filming took place for one hundred days, between 2022 and 2023, that is, a few years after the announcement, in 2018, of the abandonment of the airport project in this territory, which was opposed by environmental activists.
Like an “after”, the film captures the once again calm daily life of a place inhabited by men and women eager to rethink production methods, take care of the land, gain autonomy, etc. A philosophy contrary to the productivist program of the Republican billionaire, who will become the 47thmy president of the United States. “ direct action It is not alien to the democratic question. The ZAD is a territory of thought and refuge. There is this idea of a pioneering collective, which regains control.”underlines Ben Russell, experimental filmmaker and exhibition curator, who also presents his works in art centers.
Political sharing
We had to empathize with the inhabitants of the ZAD to be able to film agricultural work, but also the children’s snack, a piercing session, etc. “Before filming, our position was often participatory. We help with the works before deciding on the framework.”says Berlin-based Guillaume Cailleau, who co-produced the film with his company CaskFilms. “Most of the time we weren’t filming, we were just observing. In the end we only had twelve hours of attacks and we maintained just over three and a half hours”adds Ben Russell.
Shooting at 16 millimeters means changing coils every ten minutes. The inhabitants of the ZAD decided whether to enter the field or not. “Every time we filmed, we showed the reeds to the Zadists. We organize a screening once the film is finished. “They didn’t want to change anything.”adds Guillaume Cailleau.
Time rhymed with political sharing. “When filming this daily work, the idea of transmitting knowledge arises. If the documentary has the air of a film of anticipation, it is because the manual activities in the ZAD are combined with political activities”, analyzes Guillaume Cailleau.
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