RISC - 1st edition

La Grotte Chauvet : Dialogues D’équipe (The Chauvet Cave: Team Dialogues)

Pierre Oscar Lévy

The Chauvet Cave: Team Dialogues (La Grotte Chauvet, Dialogues d'Équipe) is a documentary that presents the collaborative work of a team of researchers and scientists exploring the Chauvet Cave in southern France, one of the most significant archaeological sites in the world. Directed by Pierre Oscar Lévy, the film captures the intellectual exchange among the team members as they discuss the cave's contents, particularly its remarkable prehistoric paintings, and attempt to interpret the cultural and historical context of these artworks.

Geminga (2003)

Hugo Verlinde

Light & hands, movement in the dark.

In Extenso: Gérard Onoratini

Patrice Rossignol-Gicquel

Gérard Onoratini is a film by Patrice Rossignol-Gicquel that delves into the life and work of Gérard Onoratini, a French photographer and artist known for his unique exploration of visual storytelling. The film presents an in-depth portrait of Onoratini, examining not just his artistic journey but also the broader implications of his work in contemporary photography. It blends documentary and artistic expression, reflecting on the nature of identity, memory, and the visual archive. The project is both an homage to the artist and an investigation into the intricate relationship between life and art.

La Cité Des Savants... Ou Le Principe D’incertitude (City of Scholars... Or the Principle of Uncertainty)

Iossif Pasternak

La Cité Des Savants... Ou Le Principe D'incertitude by Iossif Pasternak is a 1994 documentary that examines the ambitious intellectual project initiated by the Soviet Union in 1957: Akademgorodok, a city in Siberia dedicated to scientific research and intellectual production rather than industrial output. This "paradise" of socialism brought together top minds in the USSR, but the film critiques how political influences over science and research stifled intellectual creativity and intuition. Forty years later, the film features interviews with disillusioned scientists and intellectuals who reflect on the failures of the project, including the current decay in Russia's scientific landscape, worsened by financial crises, brain drain, and the collapse of research institutions. Those who remain in Akademgorodok must now rely on Western contracts for survival. The documentary paints a somber picture of the utopian ideals of the Soviet era collapsing into a harsh reality of economic and intellectual decline

Intelligence Superficielle

Vincent Maillard

Superficial Intelligence (2004), directed and written by Vincent Maillard, is a French documentary that explores the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) and its influence on human identity. The film delves into how AI systems, designed to mimic human intelligence, affect societal perceptions and personal relationships. By examining both the promise and the pitfalls of AI, it questions the boundaries between human and machine, as well as the ethical and philosophical concerns that arise as technology becomes increasingly integrated into daily life. This thought-provoking documentary offers insight into the growing role of AI and its potential to reshape the future of human existence, exploring these themes from a perspective that blends technology, philosophy, and the human experience.

L’âge Du Silicium (The Age of Silicon)

Cyprien Nozières

A short essay on the age of silicon, this film explores the transformation of the economy at the height of financial flows made possible by IT

Le Nombre I (The Name I)

Dominique Perrier

The film is about a mathematics course on complex numbers, given by a teacher, Daniel Faivre. Parallel to the course, the film focuses on three of the pupils: Audrey, Béatrice and Marianne, torn between ideal and reality

Le Dictionnaire (The Dictionary)

Laurent Maget

This film is the story of the meeting, in Gabon, of Sébastien Bodinga Bwa Bodinga and Lolke Van der Veen, a linguist. Indeed, in 1986 Sébastien Bodinga Bwa Bodinga had undertaken to create a lexicon of his language, Geviya, an oral dialect, in order to preserve its memory. This language is indeed threatened, because it is estimated that there are only about forty good speakers. He composes his life's work, a 1,300-page document. In 1988, Lolke Van der Veen was sent by his research director to work on the corpus thus collected. He immersed himself for several years in this work in order to give it an elaborate scientific form (definition of words, translation, numerous examples in context and grammatical categorizations). In January 2003, he officially brought Sébastien the first Geviya-French dictionary, a way of defending this culture. The delivery of this document gave rise to a real ceremony.

La Mouche, Le Mammouth Et L’aristoloche (The Fly, the Mammoth and the Aristolochia)

Jean-Christophe Monferran Rémy Bruckert

This documentary delves into the critical importance of biodiversity preservation, highlighting the roles of various species, the fly, the mammoth, and the Aristolochia plant. It features an investigation at the Museum of Natural History, focusing on systematists, the scientists dedicated to classifying living organisms. The film explores their efforts to establish phylogenetic relationships among species, aiming to reconstruct the tree of life from its roots to its branches and leaves.

Chasse Aux Léonides (Leonid Hunt)

Christophe Gombert Luc Ronat

On November 19, 2002, three astronomers, Jérémie Vaubaillon, Jean Duprat, and François Colas, gathered to observe a rare astronomical phenomenon: a meteor shower. The Earth was passing through a cloud of dust left by the comet Tempel Tuttle in 1776. These shooting stars, actually micrometeorites, were named Leonids because they appeared to come from the constellation Leo. The meteorites were observed and counted using high-brightness cameras, while the astronomers commented on the phenomenon.

Petits Oiseaux Et Grands Savants (Little Birds and Great Scientists)

Catherine Garanger

This documentary explores the world of small songbirds, particularly the wren, known as the "king" of these tiny singers. Narrated from the perspective of the wren, the film delves into the lives of these delicate creatures, highlighting their vulnerability and the impact of climate change on their existence. Set against the backdrop of the Curonian Spit on the Baltic Sea, the documentary also showcases the work of scientists who, for over a century, have studied bird migration by banding these small birds, uncovering the mysteries of their epic journeys.

Histoires D’œufs (Egg Stories)

Emmanuel Roy

Histoires d'œufs is a 2006 French documentary directed by Emmanuel Roy. The film delves into the cultural and symbolic significance of eggs across various societies. It explores how eggs are intertwined with traditions, rituals, and beliefs, serving as symbols of life, fertility, and rebirth. Through interviews and visual narratives, the documentary offers a comprehensive look at the diverse roles eggs play in human culture.

Les Routes Du Silence (The Roads of Silence)

Jean-Luc Cohen Arnaud Jouve Louis Bastin

Les Routes du Silence is a 2004 documentary that investigates public health scandals where industrial interests have overshadowed safety concerns. The film examines cases such as contaminated blood, BSE (mad cow disease), foot-and-mouth disease, asbestos, and glycol ethers, highlighting how financial priorities often took precedence over public well-being. In the aftermath of the Erika oil spill, the documentary delves into the potential toxicity of bitumen, emphasizing the necessity for transparency and the public's right to information. By drawing parallels with the asbestos scandal, it holds accountable the industrialists and officials responsible for safeguarding workers exposed to bitumen fumes.

Sauvages Dans La Ville (Savages in the City)

Yann Marquis

Sauvages dans la ville is a 2004 French short documentary directed by Yann Marquis. The film explores the resilience and adaptability of plant life within urban environments. It highlights how, despite human efforts to control and limit vegetation in cities, plants persistently reclaim spaces, growing through cracks in pavements and walls. The documentary serves as a poetic reflection on nature's tenacity and the subtle coexistence between urban development and the natural world.

Zebra (2005)

Amaury Brumauld

Zebra is an experimental short film directed by Amaury Brumauld. The film uniquely integrates hand-drawn animation with live-action footage, creating a distinctive visual narrative. This blend of mediums reflects Brumauld's background in storyboarding and his passion for cinematic storytelling through art. The film has been recognized in various international film festivals, including the International Film Festival Rotterdam.

Sub (2006)

Julien Loustau

Sub is a 2006 French short film directed by Julien Loustau. The film delves into the enigmatic and potent nature of water, intertwining imagery of Chinese dams, cryobots, and the secluded Lake Vostok beneath Antarctica's ice. Through recurring visuals of dark, nocturnal currents, it evokes primal fears and curiosity, offering a poetic meditation on the mysteries hidden beneath the surface.

Le Préparateur (The Preparer)

Noëlle Pujol

Le Préparateur is a 2006 documentary directed by Noëlle Pujol that delves into the meticulous work of a taxidermist at the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle in Angers, France. The film captures the intricate process of preparing a swan for display, highlighting the transformation from a lifeless specimen to a preserved exhibit. Through detailed observation, it explores themes of life, death, and the human desire to immortalize nature. The taxidermist's role is portrayed as multifaceted, encompassing skills akin to those of a photographer, surgeon, butcher, sculptor, and tailor, reflecting the complex artistry involved in taxidermy.

Les Hommes (The Men)

Ariane Michel

The documentary shifts the conventional perspective of nature and scientific observation. It follows a scientific expedition to the icy landscapes of Greenland but presents the scene through the eyes of the natural elements—the rocks, ice, and animals—watching the human intrusion. The film offers a contemplative and immersive experience, challenging the viewer to observe humanity from an unfamiliar vantage point. This poetic approach turns the observers into the observed, fostering a reflective exploration of humankind's relationship with nature.

L’attraction Universelle (Universal Attraction)

Érik Bullot

The short film is an experimental work exploring themes of attraction and replusion in both physical and cinematic contexts. It uss imagery such as planetary movements, a tightrope walker, and other ssymbolic sequences.

Les Ferrofluides

Alexis Martinet

Les Ferrofluides is a short film directed by Alexis Martinet and co-dircted by Jan-Christian Nicaise. The film explores the fascintiong world of ferrofluids magnetic colloidal fluids that exhibit unique proprties when exposed to magnetic fields.

Sun 1 (2005)

Véronique Rizzo

This Film shows the coexistence and evolution of two distinct spaces, a fixed star whose matter evolves, on a space of moving fractals.

Ephèse (2004)

Hugo Verlinde Yves-Marie L’hour

Ephèse is an experimental visual journey exploring the interplay of color, form, and transformation. Layers of colored matter unfold and mutate slowly in space, guided by an underlying law that reveals a perpetual state of transformation. While the essence of the forms remains consistent, their visible shapes appear to be in continuous flux, inviting the viewer to contemplate themes of change and stability

Ceci N’est Pas Une Alerte (This is not an Alert)

Sandrine Guillot Christian Ugolini

This 52-minute documentary delves into the crucial role of whistleblowers who challenge societal norms and expose risks to human and environmental health. From historical crises like Chernobyl and the asbestos scandal to emerging threats, the film highlights how whistleblowers including researchers, activists, and politicians question blind trust in technological progress and advocate for applying the precautionary principle. Key figures include researchers like Pierre Meneton, scientists like Jacques Testart, and politicians such as Corinne Lepage and Michèle Rivasi. Their work sparks scientific, political, and legal controversies, aiming to protect humanity and the environment from further degradation

Acouphènes (White Noise)

François-Xavier Drouet

Acouphènes is as much an ecological fable as an experimental nursery rhyme. Under an ironic exterior, this short film sounds out our confidence in nuclear power. 

It all begins with the recollection of a journey during which the narrator, then a child, questions his parents about the big chimneys along the side of the motorway. Become an adult, the film maker decides to investigate. Here he is at Pierrelatte, a charming village home to the nuclear site of Tricastin. So far, all is well! From a cabin, he telephones the 'communication division' of he power station to find out what are the risks of danger. They assure him that the ingeneers are 'responsible and qualified people who rarely make mistakes'. One has to admit, he acknowledges 'that a car accident is far more dangerous than a power station that has no accident'. In the same vein, he talks to a lady chemist who confirms that the iodine tablets distributed free of charge only protect his thyroid gland from radiations. For the rest, he only has to follow the instructions of the authorities... Being unable to visit the site because of the terrorist threat, he finishes his tour at the 'crocodile farm' where the heat comes from the cooling circuit of the power station. With a sound track in form of a nightmare, the director confers a quasi apocalyptic dimension to his inquiry.

7 Minutes To Midnight

Abre Chen

The title of this experimental video was given after the era of the Doomsday Clock. The Doomsday Clock, a symbol of nuclear danger since 1947, shows the level of threat posed by nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. It was created by scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project, and it reflects concerns about the potential future use of atomic weapons and nuclear war.

Contaminations (2003)

Carl Stevenson

A glimpse of a dystopian future in which the cross-contamination of genetic material is completely out of control. Contamination depicts an atmospheric and ultimately disturbing world with hybrid life forms.

Essai N°1oo1

Baptiste Coulon Mathieu Brisebras

A worker spills a radioactive substance...

Le Chat De Shrödinger (2005)

Cyprien Nozières

An atom, a cat, poison, undead cats. A box.

Unser Täglich Brot (Notre Pain Quotidien) (Our Daily Bread)

Nikolaus Geyrhalter

OUR DAILY BREAD is a wide-screen tableau of a feast which isn't always easy to digest - and in which we all take part. A pure, meticulous and high-end film experience that enables the audience to form their own ideas.

Life After the Death of Henrietta Lacks (La Vie apres la mort de Henrietta Lacks)

Mathias Thery

Talk to me about your research. Mathias Thery initiates us into the world of his scientific research through narration and representation. He accompanies his story with humor, showing that the life of researchers in cellular biology is neither sad, nor simple.
Regard d'un jeune plasticien sur la recherche dans son quotidien. Manuel, jeune scientifique, transmet avec passion l'énergie de sa démarche personnelle de recherche. En filmant jour et nuit des cellules, il invente des systèmes originaux pour comprendre les règles d'un autre monde. D'échecs en réussites, il progresse tout en gardant les yeux ouverts sur le monde qui l'entoure. On découvre alors que l'exploration des limites de la connaissance se situe entre le réel et l'imaginaire.

Le Cours Des Choses (Der Lauf Der Dinge)

Peter Fischli David Weiss

This film highlights the imbalance of things through an accumulation of catastrophes, captured in a chain reaction. Objects slide, roll, fall, or catch fire over a distance of approximately forty meters in an industrial hall.