INA

Archive Researchers, Rare footage

Thinking the Future of Archive Research with Fabrice Héron


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French Archive Researcher Fabrice Héron

For French iconographer and archive researcher Fabrice Héron, the job of archive researchers is “at the crossroads between [that of] historian and journalist.”

Getting his start in archival work during his studies at France’s Institut National Audiovisuel (INA) and while working at the media library at France Televisions, Héron has since built a career spanning over twenty years researching hundreds of subjects for television, feature documentary and feature fiction films from Attentats: Le visage de la terreur for France 3 to Nabil Ayouch’s Razzia, as well as consulting with publishers, museums and galleries. One of his recent projects had him researching and clearing amateur and professional footage from the 2011 protests that sparked the ongoing Syrian civil war. My Favorite Fabric directed by Gaya Jiji and produced by Gloria Films, will be presented in the Official Selection for ‘Un Certain Regard’ at the 2018 Festival de Cannes.

We caught up with Fabrice to learn about his latest work and hear his thoughts on the future of archival research in the television and film industries in France and beyond. (more…)

The Right Footage

70th Anniversary: The Cannes Film Festival Celebrates its History


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Restored Masterworks at Cannes Classics 2017

For its 70th anniversary, the Cannes Film Festival takes a look back at its history with a series of screenings of classic films and documentaries. The Cannes Classics selection aims to highlight the work of production companies, right-holders, cinematheques, and national archives around the world by projecting restored versions of sixteen films that both marked the history of cinema and of the festival. In total, twenty-four sessions will be scheduled, each featuring one short film and five documentaries from countries related to the festival’s history. Among those films, the iconic 1953 drama film The Earrings of Madame de … by Max Ophüls will be in the limelight. The chef d’oeuvre is highly anticipated as one of its lead figures, singer and actress Danielle Darrieux, turned one-hundred years-old on May 1st this year. The film’s restoration was ordered by the film studio Gaumont Pathé as a tribute to the eternal Danielle Darrieux. Its remastered version will be introduced by Dominique Besnehard, Pierre Murat, and Henri-Jean Servat. In addition, Servat will offer commentary on the latest filmed interview of the now one century-old French actress.  (more…)