From 8 to 23 November 2016, the town of Issoire will be hosting the third Festival of “Cinema and History”, in partnership with the Departemental Council of Puy-de-Dôme and Blaise Pascal University in Clermont-Ferrand. This year’s main theme is the post-war economic boom period.
For the first time, there will be a special focus on amateur filmmaking thanks to the collections of the Departemental Council’s Photothèque63 service and the Departemental Archives of Puy-de-Dôme.
A film by an amateur filmmaker will open the Festival: Issoire en 57, created by Alix Merle (1917-2002) and restored for the occasion, will be screened at the cinema “Le Modern”. It paints a picture of life in a small provincial town during the economic boom. The screening will be followed by an analysis from Caroline Lardy, lecturer in cinema studies, who will also refer to other films by the same filmmaker.
Olivier Meunier, head of Photothèque63’s film archives, will give a lecture on the development and characteristics of amateur filmmaking during the post-war economic boom, illustrated by many excerpts from the regional collections.
Finally, Pascal Chabaud, history teacher at the Sévigné Saint-Louis secondary school, will be leading film analysis workshops, for students aged 13 to 17, based on the film Issoire en 57, illustrating the major changes within French society during the second half of the 20th century.