Cinéma du réel 2019: Questioning Reality in Documentary Film
From March 15 to 24, 2019, the 41st Cinéma du réel documentary film festival took place at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, directed by general delegate Catherine Bizern. The theme of the festival was 'What is reality in cinema?' and featured an international competition, a French selection, and retrospectives on Kevin Jerome Everson and 'Fabriquer le cinéma' (Making Cinema). This included works by notable filmmakers such as Chris Marker, Robert Kramer, Jean-Luc Godard, Pedro Costa, and Harun Farocki. Among the highlights were eight short films titled 'Lettre(s) d’un cinéaste' from 'Cinéma Cinémas' (1981-1992) and a new segment called 'Front(s) populaire(s)' that emphasized militant documentary, showcasing films like 'Vidéogrammes d’une révolution' (1992) and 'Still Recording' (2018).
Key facts
- 41st edition of Cinéma du réel festival held at Centre Pompidou, Paris, March 15-24, 2019
- Catherine Bizern was the new general delegate
- Retrospective 'Fabriquer le cinéma' featured Chris Marker, Robert Kramer, Jean-Luc Godard, Pedro Costa, Harun Farocki
- Eight 'Lettre(s) d’un cinéaste' shorts from TV program Cinéma Cinémas (1981-1992) screened, from INA collections
- Directors shown: Alain Cavalier (1982), Luc Moullet (1983), Chantal Akerman (1985), Henri Verneuil (1983)
- New section 'Front(s) populaire(s)' introduced, focusing on militant documentary tradition
- Harun Farocki and Andrei Ujică's 'Vidéogrammes d’une révolution' (1992) about Romanian revolution
- Ghiath Ayoub and Saeed Al Batal's 'Still Recording' (2018) filmed in Douma, Syria since 2011
Entities
Artists
- Catherine Bizern
- Kevin Jerome Everson
- Chris Marker
- Robert Kramer
- Jean-Luc Godard
- Pedro Costa
- Harun Farocki
- Alain Cavalier
- Luc Moullet
- Chantal Akerman
- Henri Verneuil
- Andrei Ujică
- Ghiath Ayoub
- Saeed Al Batal
- Cécile Dumas
- Edie Laconi
- Micol Roubini
- André S. Labarthe
- Rima Yamazaki
- Bojina Panayotova
- Manuel Abramovich
- Eloy Domínguez Serén
Institutions
- Centre Pompidou
- Institut national de l’audiovisuel (INA)
- Antenne 2
- Bpi
- CNRS Images
- Comité du film ethnographique
- artpress
Locations
- Paris
- France
- Douma
- Syria
- Marseille
- Romania