François Bretagnolle is a professor at Université de Bourgogne-Europe, where he teaches ecology and plant biology.
His research focuses on the role of interactions between trees and frugivorous and herbivorous vertebrates in forest dynamics and carbon storage within these ecosystems. He conducts his work in the forests of the Congo Basin and, in particular, has been active for over ten years in Gabon, in close collaboration with researchers and conservation actors in the country.
Recently, he has developed ethno-ecological approaches to integrate local populations’ knowledge and expertise into academic understanding within the field of interaction ecology.
Lucid Intervals
Screenings and discussions
November Screenings
The Straight Story by David Lynch
Le Souffle by Alexander Kott
The Tower
Auditorium, Level 1
From
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One weekend per month, from October to April, LUMA Arles offers a series of screenings followed by discussions at the Parc des Ateliers, with free admission upon reservation. Screenings specially designed for young audiences are part of the program.
These films will explore the relationships between humans and non-humans, interspecies relations, mythologies, and the natural world.
Focusing on a different theme each month, these sessions are part of a proposal that also includes exchanges with speakers, researchers, filmmakers, and the audience, on how these films contribute to changing our perceptions.
Free admission to screenings, upon reservation.
November Theme: The Plain
Two cinematic journeys of the spirit and the self meet in this program: the quiet road odyssey of an elderly man on his lawnmower (The Straight Story by David Lynch) and a haunting love triangle unfolding across the Kazakh steppes (The Breath by Alexander Kott).
Friday, November 7 at 6:30 p.m.
The Straight Story by David Lynch
USA | 1999 | 1h52
English
Alvin Straight, a retired farmer and widower, learns his distant brother Lyle has suffered a stroke and may not recover. Determined to reconcile while he still can, Alvin faces a problem: Lyle lives in Wisconsin, and he is stuck in Iowa without a car or driver’s license. He decides to make the journey on his old lawnmower, embarking on a slow, picturesque, and deeply spiritual odyssey.
Awards:
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2000 – Bodil Awards: Winner, Best American Film
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2000 – British Independent Film Awards: Winner, Best Foreign Independent Film
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1999 – Cannes Film Festival: Nominated for the Palme d’Or
Saturday, November 8 at 4:00 p.m.
Le Souffle by Alexander Kott
Russia | 2014 | 1h35
Silent
A man and his daughter live peacefully on an isolated farm in the Kazakh steppes. As two boys—a Muscovite and a Kazakh—compete for the young girl’s heart, a quiet but looming threat begins to emerge.
Awards:
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2015 – International Environmental Film Festival: Audience Award
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2014 – Kinovatr Festival: Grand Prize
After the screening, a discussion will take place with François Bretagnolle, researcher and lecturer at Université de Bourgogne-Europe (Dijon), and Martin Guinard, curator at LUMA Arles.
Lucid Afters
The Lucid Afters are the perfect opportunity to continue the conversation with the speakers following the screenings and discussions of Lucid Intervals.
The Drum Café team welcomes you in a warm and friendly atmosphere to discover original creations specially crafted for the event by head bartender Arnaud. A variety of preparations, some inspired by the evening’s theme, will be served.
UPCOMING
DECEMBER: The Light
- Friday, December 5 at 6:30 p.m.: Yeelen (Brightness) – Souleyman Cissé (1987), Mali, 1h45, Bambara.
- Saturday, December 6 at 2:00 p.m.: Nocturna – Víctor Maldonado, Adrià García (2007), Spain, 80 min, French.
- Saturday, December 6 at 4:00 p.m.: The Light Thief – Aktan Arym Kubat (2011), Kyrgyzstan, 1h20, Kyrgyz.
FEBRUARY: The Tree
- Friday, February 6 at 6:30 p.m.: The Tree of Authenticity – Sammy Baloji (2025), DR Congo / Belgium, 1h29, French & Dutch.
- Saturday, February 7 at 2:00 p.m.: Mia and the Migoo – Jacques-Rémy Girerd (2008), France.
- Saturday, February 7 at 4:00 p.m.: The Time of Forests – François-Xavier Drouet (2018), France, 1h43, French.
MARCH: Horses
- Friday, March 6 at 6:30 p.m.: Of Women and Horses – Patricia Mazuy (2012), France, 1h43, French.
- Saturday, March 7 at 2:00 p.m.: White Mane – Albert Lamorisse (1953), France, 47 min, French.
- Saturday, March 7 at 4:00 p.m.: Gaucho, Gaucho – Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw (2024), France, 84 min, French.
APRIL: The Flood
- Friday, April 3 at 6:30 p.m.: When the Levees Broke – Spike Lee (2006), USA, 2h10 (2 episodes), English.
- Saturday, April 4 at 2:00 p.m.: Raining Cats and Frogs – Jacques-Rémy Girerd (2003), France, 90 min, French.
- Saturday, April 4 at 4:00 p.m.: The Sound of Waves – Ryusuke Hamaguchi (2011), Japan, 2h22, Japanese.
The series of screenings has been curated by Rasha Salti, Independent Curator, Jean-Michel Frodon, Film Critic with Vassilis Oikonomopoulos, Artistic Director, LUMA Arles, Martin Guinard, Curator, LUMA Arles and Salma Mochtari, Researcher associate, LUMA Arles. The program for young audiences was developed in collaboration with Louise Rolland, Head of Mediation at LUMA Arles.
Biographies:
Rasha Salti is a researcher, writer and curator of art and film based in Beirut and Berlin. At present, she is the commissioning editor for the experimental documentary program “La Lucarne” for Arte France.
Jean-Michel Frodon is a film critic, journalist and teacher at Sciences Po. He is the author of thirty books on cinema, and was notably head of the Cinema section at Le Monde and director of Cahiers du Cinéma.
The films presented are protected under copyright law; any reproduction without prior authorization is strictly prohibited.
In reproducing the works contained in these films, LUMA Arles has made its best efforts and acted in good faith to obtain the required authorizations from the rights holders. Should certain rights holders not have been identified or contacted, or in the event of any error or omission with respect to the copyrights concerned, the parties in question are invited to contact LUMA Arles in order to regularize the situation.