Whispers in the Woods
The mission of the Centre d'art et essai de la Cinémathèque québécoise (CAECQ) is to primary program Quebec-made documentaries and independent fiction, as well as international documentaries, animated and foreign films, while encouraging opportunities for meetings between the public and the artists. Its programming is presented in conjunction with the Cinémathèque québécoise’s under the label New releases.
Winner of the César Award for Best Documentary Film in 2026
After La panthère des neiges (The Velvet Queen), Vincent Munier invites us into the heart of the Vosges forests. It was here that he learned everything from his father Michel, a naturalist who spent his life observing the woods. Now it is time for them to pass on this knowledge to Simon, Vincent’s son. Three perspectives, three generations, one shared fascination with wildlife. We will discover with them deer, rare birds, foxes, and lynx... and sometimes, the beating wings of a legendary animal: the capercaillie.
Vincent Munier
Vincent Munier was born in Épinal, in the Vosges region of France, in 1976. His father Michel taught him camping skills and instilled in him a deep-seated need to “tiptoe into the forest.” When he was 12 years old, Vincent took his first photograph of a deer. In 1999, he published his first book, Le ballet des grues. Horticultural worker, mason and photojournalist, he took on odd jobs to finance the purchase of photographic equipment. Encouraged by several successes in the “Wildlife Photographer of the Year” competition organized by the BBC and the Natural History Museum in London, he decided in 2000 to devote himself exclusively to wildlife photography. Vincent is known for his unique photographic style, inspired by Japanese prints and minimalist art: mist, rain, snow, and blizzards envelop landscapes and animals, sometimes leaving only their silhouettes visible. His images are the result of increasingly distant quests and long periods of patience to remain unnoticed by the legitimate inhabitants of nature. A fan of solo travel, combining adventure, naturalist interest, and photography, he likes to plan his own expeditions, always taking care not to be intrusive. In 2013, he spent a month alone and without assistance on the frozen island of Ellesmere in the Canadian Arctic. A pack of nine white wolves came to meet him: these “ghosts of the tundra” feature in his book Arctic (2015). He photographed the snow leopard, another elusive predator, for the first time in spring 2016 on the Tibetan plateau, and in 2018 published two books on the subject, including Tibet, minéral animal with travel writer Sylvain Tesson. In 2021, the movie La panthère des neiges (The Velvet Queen), which he co-directed with Marie Amiguet, was released. Vincent now exhibits in art galleries in Europe and the United States and publishes his images in the international press. He is the author of a dozen books.
Bio: Maison 4:3
Photo: Simon Munier, Courtesy of Maison 4:3
