Every Little Thing: The Films of Nicolas Philibert
February 24, 2005 - February 27, 2005
February 24
In 2000 and 2001, Nicolas Philibert spent many months shooting a film in a corner of rural France, mostly in a one-room school where a remarkable teacher named Georges Lopez patiently molded the gifts of children of all ages, each one "by hand." The documentary film, To Be and To Have, became a surprise hit in France and abroad. Philibert and Lopez have two things in common: both take pleasure in small things, and both are inspired by the teaching moment no one else sees. Before To Be and To Have made him a celebrity, Philibert was widely if quietly admired for his thoughtful forays into worlds apart: the world of the museum (Louvre City, Animals), deaf society (In the Land of the Deaf), an insane asylum (Every Little Thing), each observed with humanity and humor. Philibert may be the Renoir of documentary filmmaking, so busy are his subjects making their small theatricals, or quietly muttering to themselves, or sizing up a work of art, or having epiphanies, and no longer knowing he and his camera are there. But he is there, and, make no mistake, with a story in mind—an action story, if you will, of thought physically expressed in being.
We are thrilled to have Nicolas Philibert as our artist in residence in the ongoing series Documentary Voices, programmed by PFA Film Curator Kathy Geritz. In addition to presenting a lecture on the opening night of the series, Philibert will be present at screenings to engage with the audience, and will hold a workshop with students and others interested in his process.
—Judy Bloch
Thursday, February 24, 2005
7:00 p.m. To Be and To Have
Lecture by Nicolas Philibert. This gentle and illuminating film on a teacher and his students in rural France has been that country's most successful theatrical documentary feature ever, and here made critics' Top Ten lists. In a one-room school Philibert finds "an ardent celebration of one special stop along the difficult road of becoming a human being."—The New Yorker. Philibert's Documentary Voices lecture precedes the film.
Friday, February 25, 2005
1:30 p.m. Nicolas Philibert in Conversation (Admission Free!)
An informal and intimate conversation with the artist about his work, designed for students but open to the public.
Friday, February 25, 2005
7:30 p.m. In the Land of the Deaf
Nicolas Philibert in Person, Sign Language Interpretation Provided. Following the lives and stories of a number of deaf people, Philibert "carries viewers into a different but completely understandable culture, a world with its own rich language. Film is the perfect medium for capturing this beautifully lyrical, visual language of gestures."—NY Times
Saturday, February 26, 2005
7:00 p.m. Every Little Thing
Nicolas Philibert in Person. Every summer the residents and nurses at La Borde psychiatric hospital put on a play. In 1995 they performed a work by Witold Gombrowicz, who fully understood what the residents also know: that feelings can't be "crammed into words."
Saturday, February 26, 2005
9:25 p.m. Animals
Nicolas Philibert in Person. A droll and engrossing look at the restoration of Paris's National Natural History Museum and the reinstatement of its inhabitants—elephants, badgers, and butterflies who with their fixed stares observe us observing them.
Sunday, February 27, 2005
12:30 p.m. Louvre City
Nicolas Philibert in Person. A witty, beautifully observed documentary on the behind-the-scenes workings of the Louvre, filmed, says Philibert, as you would a ballet, as curators, restorers, and attendants all prepare for the grand reopening following the construction of I. M. Pei's Pyramid.
Sunday, February 27, 2005
2:30 p.m. Animals
For description, please see February 26, above. Followed by Louvre City (see description above).
Documentary Voices is made possible with the support of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and the LEF Foundation.
Nicolas Philibert's residency is cosponsored by the Division of Literatures, Cultures and Languages at Stanford University. We especially wish to thank Cécile Alduy and Kristine Samuelson for their generous assistance. We thank the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the U.S. and the Consulate General of France in San Francisco for their support. Special thanks to Marie Bonnel, Chérif Castel, Gregory Douet-Lasne, and Anne-Catherine Louvet.
