
The Grocer's Son, the Mayor, the Village and the World

Claire Simon goes to Lussas, in France’s Ardèche, home to a vibrant community of documentarians. She films the creation of Tënk, an online platform for auteur documentaries. The initiative is a labour of love for the passionate and optimistic people behind it, but the process is long and arduous, as cultural projects often are. The filmmaker followed them for months, capturing their doubts and dilemmas: how do you manage everyday conflicts? Be accepted by a rural population that you aren’t part of? By the general public? Reconcile private life and professional calling? Reassure the mayor? Secure funding without making ethical compromises? A fascinating, bittersweet and insightful behind-the-scenes film. (Apolline Caron-Ottavi)
[IDFA] [IDFA] Claire Simon is fascinated by the small French town of Lussas, to which she dedicated the diptych "The village" (2019), and to which she now returns. A work of deep love for cinema, which speaks of the passion for artistic creation, dreams come true, new technologies, but also rural life, the connection with the landscape ... It is a documentary that addresses many issues but at the same time it is perfectly focused. Because from a small town in the South of France you can conquer the world.