La Vie

Fourty years ago, in May 1981, with François Mitterrand's election, some people were letting themselves dream about a better life while others were predicting the coming of soviet tanks upon the Champs-Élysées. If we gladly remember the turning point of austerity in 83, there were also the wage rises, the fifth week of paid leave, the abolition of death penalty, the decriminalisation of homosexuality, or the advent of independent radio stations. Rare archives and accounts by those who were at the heart of this story give an overview of it and shed light on lesser-known aspects.

A carefree woman struggles to reclaim normalcy after the untimely death or her sister.

Geneviève Everell, lead owner of Sushi à la maison, is young, vibrant but most of all, she is resilient. In this production, she recounts her extraordinary childhood. Geneviève was raised by a mother who was a drug user and a prostitute. Domestic violence, several moves and school changes could not, in the end, break the woman she was to become. A fascinating and touching story with a good ending.

A documentary crew follow a minor TV star with a giant ego in is everyday life.

The space of an instant and a little boy and a little girl get carried away by their imagination of the future.

A Season in the Life of Emmanuel, a newborn who witnesses the drastic changes a French family experiences in a brief period of time.

Julie would have given up all her dreams if she had listened to the doctors, her parents and others: the disease was threatening to suffocate her lungs. But the sixteen year old did as she pleased, devouring life to the fullest. Madly in love with her first flirt of the same age, she falls pregnant with him and decides to keep the baby. She hides her pregnancy from her parents, from the doctors, and come what may. Julie has defied the adult world, armed with a conviction in the form of a lesson for all: it is because life can be short that it must be intense.

A documentary about actor Paul Muller.

Alternating frames combine footage of Parisian landmarks taken at different times of day or in different seasons.

Footage of public spaces around Avignon, shown in alternating frames captured at different times.

The scenes take place in the Ile-de-France (Paris area) social security office (CRAMIF). From October to December of 1992, we filmed the "Invalidity" and "Occupational Accidents" departments, as well as the mail room, the typists and the archivists. This "real life" is nothing but real, so real ; eight hours a day in the office for those who are called the "laborers of the service industry".

La vie est dure, nous aussi is a sentimental comedy with a protagonist who is extremely discreet, extremely solitary and extremely egotistical. Charles, a native of Marseilles, is now living in Paris, and he has to take care of the dog of a girlfriend. He is also an insomniac and a hypochondriac. But he has one virtue: he loves to listen to people. Walking the dog opens up new territories for Charles who is discovering something new each day. One day a girl crosses his path, and he immediately recognizes her as the love of his life. There is one problem. How is he going to find her?

Looping carnival rides slow, stutter, and stop in the first film of Lowder's series disrupting the flow of time in quotidian French life.

In September 2021, France will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the abolition of the death penalty. A decision so strong that it will symbolize, in itself, the first seven years of François Mitterrand. For Robert Badinter, it was the fight of a lifetime, rooted in a personal history marked by the rejection of injustice, which began after the arrest of his father by the Gestapo in 1943. A story told through archives and by his family and closest friends.

The pilgrimage to Compostela is an experience that attracts more and more people. The pilgrim is led to go beyond his limits, to confront himself and his environment. The trials are physical, but above all psychological. The director followed the journey of several pilgrims for 3 years. None of their paths are the same. Step by step a new rhythm of life sets in, offering new perceptions. The repeated contact with nature, the elements and other pilgrims puts each personality in its rightful place. The alchemy of the path operates little by little. Old clothes facing the setting sun. The old man disappears to give birth to the new man.

Since 1930, unemployment grows in France. A family, living in the country, is facing economic hardship. The father hesitates to spend his money to invest (i.e. to buy a new cow). On the contrary, her daughter who is unemployed, has another point of view. Against his timidity, she explains to him that the money must be shared in order to change the world. There's so much progress to make in many areas such as health, roads, electricity, school...