Les Établissements Phonographiques de l’Est

Une certaine histoire du cinéma expérimental français

Jeune Cinéma is a footage film documentary about the famous yet forgotten Hyères Film Festival which took place from 1965 to 1983. It was at that time the most important in France just after the glamorous Cannes Film Festival and a friendly place to discover young directors such as Gilles Garrel, Akerman, Helma Sanders, Schroeter or Carax before they became a legend for the art-house film amateurs. Hyères was a vivid space for passionate debates, incredible polemics and above all surprising encounters. In a word, it was THE place to be for all the cinephiles. If it suddenly disappeared in 1983, it is not only because of internal and political conflicts but also for an unfair competition with Cannes. The « Perspectives » section at Cannes, widely inspired by Hyères, was attracting those same young talents discovered there. My personal history as a filmmaker is deeply tied to the “Collectif Jeune Cinéma”, which was in charge of the “Cinéma Différent” section.