Winter 2024 residency:
Whales in the Mediterranean
A world without silence
We’re excited to unveil the official trailer for Un monde sans silence (A World Without Silence), a short film created entirely during our 7-week residency in the South of France.
The residency brought together six talented residents, who collaborated to write, film, and direct the editing of this remarkable project. The theme centered on whales in the Mediterranean, and the group chose to highlight the pressing issue of noise pollution from the perspective of these majestic creatures.
This film wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support of everyone who contributed to the project, including the invaluable scientific advice that informed and enriched the narrative. Their insights helped illuminate how even small human-made sounds can profoundly impact the lives of large cetaceans.
The aim of A world without silence is to raise awareness about anthropogenic noise pollution, foster a deeper understanding and love for these incredible animals, and inspire action to protect them.
Stay tuned for the full release of the film!
Watch the official trailer here:
Behind the scenes
The inaugural residency centers on the creation of a short documentary exploring the lives of whales in the Mediterranean and the challenges they face. By weaving together research, storytelling, and powerful visuals, this project seeks to highlight the urgent need for conservation efforts in this critical marine ecosystem.
Six talented filmmakers embark on an exciting seven-week journey along the stunning French coast. Their mission? To create a 13-minute documentary from start to finish, centred around the theme of whales in the Mediterranean.
The participants will engage in coaching workshops led by a professional coach along with insightful visits from external scientific experts. This immersive experience is rich in learning and creativity.
Additionally, the entire process will be captured for a making-of documentary. Their unique perspectives and expertise will provide an intimate look at the creative journey of our filmmakers as they bring this important theme to life, from writing and filming to supervising the post-production (offsite) and distribution strategy.
Organisation
The residents created their documentary from A-Z:
Week 1: Welcome + development
Week 2: Writing
Week 3: Writing + preparation
Week 4: Filming
Week 5: Filming
Week 6: Post-production
Week 7: Post-production
Network of Experts & Interventions
During our residency, residents are provided with a comprehensive contact list of professionals, practitioners, and experts in our field, that they can build upon. This network became a vital resource, helping us to facilitate valuable external interventions and deepen our understanding of the theme at hand.
We organised various sessions with guest speakers who shared their specialised knowledge and provided insights on key topics related to our work. These interventions were integral to enriching the experience and contributing to the ongoing dialogue within the residency.
Among the highlights were discussions and workshops led by professionals who offered expertise in cetaceans in the Mediterranean and in making documentaries, enhancing the interdisciplinary approach of our project, including the following:
Denis Ody - Scientist and whale expert, WWF
Sebastien Personnic - Biologist, diver & underwater photographer
Alain Barcelo & Louise Freyburger - National Park of Port-Cros
Hervé Glotin - Head of the Research and Teaching chair in Artificial Intelligence "Advanced Machine Listening for Bioacoustic and Subsea”, University of Toulon
Anne-Marie Sorba - Documentary filmmaker, Fred Hilgemann films
Additionally, we organised a special visit to a Miraceti event in Saint-Maxime, which focused on high-quality whale watching practices. This unique opportunity allowed us to gain first-hand experience and further our understanding of sustainable marine tourism and conservation efforts in this field.
