In the Name of the Land
The farming world is often torn between age-old traditions and industrialisation, the passing of the torch and technological change, family-run businesses and corporate conglomerates, the rural communities it inhabits and the cities it feeds, environmental challenges and the drive for profitability... All these issues are reflected in this program, which highlights how many recent films from Québec and France have looked at the agricultural world, capturing its essential, resilient, and sometimes painful aspects.
Pierre is 25 when he returns from Wyoming to be reunited with his fiancée, Claire, and take over the family farm. Twenty years later, the farm has grown, and so has the family. It’s a time of happiness, at least at first... Debts pile up and Pierre wears himself out at work. Despite the love of his wife and children, he gradually sinks into despair... Structured like a family saga and based on the director’s own story, the film offers a human perspective on the evolution of the agricultural world over the past 40 years.
Édouard Bergeon
Édouard Bergeon is a French filmmaker. Having grown up on a farm, he balanced farm work with a position at a garden center and competitive cycling. He then became a journalist at France 3, and joined the national new team at France 2, before moving into directing television documentaries and news magazines in 2008. In 2012, he directed Les fils de la terre, a documentary exploring mental health issues and suicides among French farmers, which served as the foundation for his feature film debut: In the Name of the Land (2019). Inspired by his own family history, the film received three César Award nominations. Alongside his documentary work, he released his second feature film, The Green Deal, in 2024.
