The Zone
In its latest issue, the film magazine 24 images dedicates a special feature to the theme of our symposium, Film Archives Beget Films, to be held on April 28-29. In conjunction with this editorial coverage, and just ahead of the symposium, we are presenting a program entirely focused on this theme; the re-use of archival film footage in films. While not aiming to be exhaustive, the program highlights the diversity of practices from an aesthetic and historical perspective.
The screening will be followed by a discussion between Denys Desjardins and Robert Daudelin (24 images)
In search of her missing friend, Madeleine turns to Stalker, who helps her discover a strange zone buried in her memory. World War III is about to break out, while inside the zone, filmmaker Chris Marker has taken refuge in a fictional character. Filmed around the world, The Zone is a poetic essay in memory of Chris Marker, the most famous of unknown filmmakers, who disappeared on July 29, 2012 at the age of 91.
Denys Desjardins
** Denys Desjardins** is a “multifaceted filmmaker with an endlessly curious spirit whose boundless love of cinema permeates his entire output.” He first discovered cinema as a child, when his father would shoot, edit and project films on their basement walls. While studying film, he worked as an orderly in a mental health care institution and discovered the world through the eyes of those marginalized and forgotten by society. Thereafter, his camera became a tool for building relationships and telling the world’s stories — one film at a time. Truly passionate about the art of cinema, he has put his hand to every aspect of film production, from camera operator to director, in addition to writing, research, and editing. In 1990, he launched his own production company, Les Films du Centaure. Since then, he has directed and produced some 20 films as well as numerous websites, working both in the private sector and with the National Film Board of Canada. With the latter, he also collaborated on the DVD box sets of the films of Gilles Groulx, Michel Brault, and Pierre Perrault. A socially engaged filmmaker, Desjardins has for the past three decades been part of the ongoing battle to defend and uphold artistic institutions. He has served on numerous boards of directors, including the Soirée des Jutra and the Rendez-vous du cinéma québecois, and is a founding member of Québec Cinéma. He also founded the Isle-aux-Coudres DOCfest.
Photo: Frédéric Bouchard
