« TOUNDRA » MOTION PICTURE
Co-written with Cédric Gras, author of the book « L’hiver aux trousses », Tundra (the provisional title) is a road movie full of adventures, chance encounters and natural sceneries. The main character is 35-year-old Vadim, who has always lived in Paris and who, in 1992, decides to go off in search of his long-lost father who had disappeared during the final throes of Stalin’s reign. He unwittingly embarks upon a journey of self-discovery which will gradually allow him to overcome the prejudices he initially held about Russia and will lead to him discovering not only his roots but also the real face, heart and spirit of the country to which he does, after all, belong. He will make the acquaintance of many extraordinary characters as he travels through this enchanting region. He will share his adventures with Macha, an archivist he befriends while in Moscow, by sending him a series of short videos. Macha is finally enticed away from his fast-changing city life and ends up leaving it to experience life away from it all out in the wilds. The film will be shot in two languages: in the character’s mother tongue, French, when he is talking with and confiding in Macha and when expressing his emotions; but also in Russian, the language that his exiled mother taught him, which he will use more and more spontaneously to communicate with the people he encounters during his trip. (translated using subtitles).
team always on the lookout for unforeseen natural occurrences which may fit into the original scenario. Under the spiritual guidance of Akira Kurosawa, the film will lay greater emphasis on images and sounds recorded directly from nature rather than on the dialogues, and audiences will be given ample time to marvel at and contemplate them.
Luc Jacquet et Cédric Gras near the Avachinsky volcano, in Kamchatka.
Despite the enormous logistics issues involved, the film will be shot on location in natural surroundings by a crack
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