Champ de bataille

“They called me to the 3rd North Trench. Gotta fix a phone line. Hurry up! It’s blowing up everywhere. Miserable weather, Captain. Can’t hear much anyway. Ears got blasted by a shell. This war’s a curse. I’m 20 and don’t even have a gun”.
The Earth carries all of mankind’s memories within it. But when people suffer, their pain and torment always rise to the surface. In 1916, Verdun’s fields were the theatre of unprecedented barbarism. Battered bodies, mutilated landscapes, darkened skies of despair... Amidst all this, a soldier, Julien, lives through these dark times, abandoning any chance of youth and happiness. He, and the nature that surrounds him, are forever united in a common fate.

Champ de Bataille is an immersive experience in the heart of Verdun’s trenches in 1916, during a murderous offensive. While participating in a TV program on WWI, I had the opportunity to meet some of the war’s remaining first-hand participants. This was both a shock and an opportunity for me to delve into my own family roots, since my grandfather had fought in this war. It also gave me a chance to explore my favourite theme: the human becoming. In 2016, I discovered another frontline as I watched my son venture into the intricacies of the video game, Battlefield 1. As impressive as it is, it’s devoid of what I consider to be an absolutely essential element: humanity—the inclination to be, to live, to feel something in one’s very flesh, and to fear for one’s life. The film offers an emotional counterpoint to this kind of immersion, while highlighting the absurdity of war. Julien, our young hero, is fragile, near-deaf, and a stranger in a world whose meaning he no longer understands. He’s in charge of maintaining open lines of communication: a metaphor for the lost human connection between good and evil. In spite of himself, Julien allows his officers to re-establish contact, who then send men to their deaths. He’s not actively fighting, but he remains the target and devastated witness of this battlefield. Champ de Bataille captures this devastation.

PRODUCTION 1: DA PROD – Jérémy Sahel
21 Rue Alexandre Dumas
75011, Paris, France
Tel. 33 610218490
jeremy@daprod.net

PRODUCTION 2: Digital Voodooh – Mark Mertens, Fred Neuen
115c, rue Emile Mark
L-4620 Dufferdange, Luxembourg
Tel. 352 621479712
m.mertens@fabrique-d-images.com

PRODUCTION 3: Kwassa Films Anabella Nezri
286 Chaussée d Alsemberg
1190, Bruxelles, Belgium
Tel. 32 02 880 97 00
annabella@kwassa.be

PRODUCTION 4: France Television – Jeanne Marchalot
7, Esplanade Henri de France
75907, Paris, France
Tel. 33 6 83 47 49 15
jeanne.marchalot@france.tv

WORLD SALES: Alexandre Roux - Unframed Collection
108 avenue Ledru-Rollin
75011, Paris, France
Tel. 33 6 50 68 63 56
aroux@lucidrealities.studio

PRESS OFFICE: FAJOL Zvi David
Mensch Agency
35 boulevard Paul-Émile Victor
92200, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
Tel. . 33 6 12 18 89 27
zvidavid.fajol@mensch-agency.com