How did this project get started ?
When the full-scale Russian invasion began in February 2022…
How did this project get started ?
When the large-scale Russian invasion began in February 2022, at Studio N (its production company Editor’s note), we immediately said to ourselves that we wanted to act. Because it was close to us, because there were young people our age who were going to fight. And what we know how to do best are films. The documentary is a first for us. Maxime, one of our members, had already left as a volunteer in a refugee center on the border between Poland and Ukraine, in March 2022. We made contact with him then went to Przemysl , on the Polish side, where a Tesco supermarket had transformed into a refugee camp welcoming hundreds of people. We wanted to tell something far from sensationalism, to be at the heart of humanity through the stories of volunteers and refugees. To let these people tell their own story.
When are you leaving? With a “light” team I imagine?
We are leaving in July 2022 for a week there. We crossed Europe in three days in a “trailer minibus”. Moreover, this trip made us aware of the proximity of war. There were still seven of us leaving. We had a room reserved for us and in which we had our two cameras to do our interviews. I took care of conducting the interviews and another part of the team produced cutaway shots in the camp. Obviously, we had prepared this in advance.
Have you lived, eaten, slept alongside refugees?
We wanted to remain completely self-sufficient. So we set up a sort of bivouac, next to the camp where we slept and ate. Given that we were experiencing quite emotionally intense moments, this allowed us to meet up in the evening, to debrief, to discuss.
What is the film about?
It’s a film that lasts 42 minutes and really tells the daily story of the international volunteers and refugees in this center. We are not here to do journalism but cinema. So we come to tell a story with emotion, music, sequences constructed with testimonies. We start by telling a little bit about how they experienced the first day of the Russian invasion, where they were at that precise moment, what they were doing. And then we unwind the thread on the history of the camp, its problems.
What stood out to you in particular?
During filming, we met Sasha, a young Ukrainian who offered us the chance to cross the border into Ukraine. Which we hadn’t necessarily expected. But we took the time, we did it on foot, with her, even though she hadn’t been back since the start of the conflict. A very strong moment.
Talent brut
At 22 years old, Maximilien Saint-Cast, student at Sciences Po Paris, impresses with his production and his energy. Originally from Niort, in 2018 he created Studio N, an association of cinema and audiovisual enthusiasts. The association now has 350 members. From there was born the eponymous production company. After making several films and web series, Maximilien Saint-Cast tried his hand at documentaries for the first time.
At the CGR in Angoulême, Friday November 24 at 8 p.m. Single price 5 euros. Registration required at avp.studio-n.fr
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