2011 Édito CNC Édito CNC
What is the state of the world? What is the state of documentary creation?
These two tightly linked questions have been from the beginning at the heart of debates at the États généraux du film documentaire and people challenged by these questions participate faithfully in the festival to continue their reflection with always – I have noted – an extremely high level of intellectual and ethical rigour.
Each year the CNC is associated with this reflection and this year the partnership with the festival will even be reinforced.
The necessity to rethink our representations of the world and the relations between human beings – at a time when all our institutions are undergoing strain – gives a particularly important responsibility to authors, that of expressing a particular point of view, an original viewpoint, that of adding Meaning. The power of the image allows us to better understand our world but also the power to act on it. The image is a "revealer" as well as a lever for action.
The CNC is aware of this mission which goes well beyond questions of economics, even though its execution presupposes the ability to muster financial resources. Through its capacity to hear what authors say as much as through its financial support, the CNC's aim is to contribute vigorously to the support of documentary. This year, the CNC thus has decided to reinforce the Aid Fund for Audiovisual Innovation by making permanent the reinforced development aid programme which has been experimentally in place since 2008. These mechanisms offer authors precious spaces of liberty.
The audience can judge by viewing at Lussas Monsieur M, 1968 by Isabelle Berteletti and Laurent Cibien, L’été de Giacomo by Alessandro Comodin and by participating in the workshop around Jean-Loïc Portron's Bradock America project.
This 2011 edition will also be marked by the collaboration of the Cinema Heritage Department at the CNC and the États généraux du film documentaire with the projection of a film stored in the French Film Archives, Mexique en fête by Jan Špáta.
The CNC is truly proud to support the team of Ardèche Images who have shown their commitment over more than thirty years to defending the singularity and diversity of documentary creation.
Éric Garandeau, President, Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC)