Éric Baudelaire's For the Moon Gives Cameras to Blind Girls at Paris's National Institute for Blind Youth
Éric Baudelaire's documentary, For the Moon (Car la Lune, 2026), showcases the lives of five students from the National Institute for Blind Youth in Paris, some of whom are completely blind while others have severe visual impairments. Using Sony handicams, they captured their experiences, which were edited by Claire Atherton. The film is set to be presented at the New York Film Festival on October 6 and 7. Kadiatou highlights that an impactful film should appear effortless. The students produce abstract visuals that echo the style of late Hong Sang-soo. Iris, who lost her right eye at nine and may lose her left, documents intimate moments and records voice memos after her surgery, prompting viewers to perceive the world through the girls' perspectives.
Key facts
- For the Moon (Car la Lune, 2026) is directed by Éric Baudelaire.
- The film features five students from Paris's National Institute for Blind Youth, some fully blind and some severely visually impaired.
- Baudelaire gave the students Sony handicams to film themselves and each other.
- The footage was edited by Claire Atherton, a longtime collaborator of Chantal Akerman.
- The film screens at the New York Film Festival on 6 and 7 October.
- Student Kadiatou says a beautiful film must be properly shot but also appear natural, guided by intuition rather than script or stage.
- Iris lost her right eye at age 9 and faces imminent loss of her left; she addresses tapes to "Éric" and films videos saved on her phone.
- After Iris's second enucleation, she records voice memos played against all-black backgrounds before resuming filming.
Entities
Artists
- Éric Baudelaire
- Claire Atherton
- Chantal Akerman
- Kadiatou
- Mèï
- Iris
- Jade
- Crystal
- Hong Sang-soo
- Robert Flaherty
- Frederick Wiseman
- Errol Morris
- Beethoven
- Brassens
- Gilbert Montagné
Institutions
- National Institute for Blind Youth
- New York Film Festival
- Sony
Locations
- Paris
- France
- New York
- United States