Photography and film interact and converge in The Hidden Face of the Earth (La Face cachée de la Terre), the feature documentary directorial debut of Arnaud Alain about a photographer losing his eyesight.
Alain wrote and directed the film, which was produced by Mathilde Raczymow, and also handled the cinematography.
The Hidden Face of the Earth world premieres on Tuesday, Feb. 17, in the Panorama Dokumente section of the Berlin International Film Festival. Outplay Films is handling world sales for the doc, produced by Les Films du Bilboquet.
“Dimitri loves to photograph the people around him. But for years, images have been slipping away from his sight,” reads a synopsis for The Hidden Face of the Earth. “He knows that, one day, he will no longer see. He is unable to take photos as he used to. So, night and day, hidden behind his camera, he gathers light and bodies.”
The film accompanies Dimitri through the streets of Paris, New York and elsewhere. As he captures his objects, Alain’s film camera captures him. Along the way, the director and his protagonist encounter friends, lovers and strangers.
“Dimitri has a unique way of capturing the world around him. He found in photography a language that allowed him to turn his gaze toward others: he enjoys photographing his friends, the boys he meets, or sometimes strangers,” Alain highlights in a director’s statement. “As he explains in the film, hidden behind his camera, he feels at peace. His role as a photographer distances him from his visual impairment. “
Concludes the filmmaker: “His camera becomes an extension of his gaze. Bonds of friendship,
desire, and sometimes anger take shape. Dimitri’s gaze turns to Black Lives Matter activists or passing lovers.”
And Alain explains where the title of his film comes from. “Throughout the film, our images echo each other,” he says. “Our imaginations intersect, our sensibilities meet and sometimes collide. Dimitri invites us to look at what we don’t see, towards the hidden face of the Earth.”
THR can now exclusively premiere a clip from The Hidden Face of the Earth. In the scene, we meet Alain as he goes to take photos from a cliff.
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