other movies by the director
Vitis prohibita, resistant grapes coming out of the shadows
documentary by Stéphan Balay, 2019, 91 min.
www.vitis-prohibita.com
This is the incredible true story of “innocent” grape varieties that were deemed outlaws by the French government. Their grapes were falsely accused of being toxic when made into wine. Selling their wine was prohibited.
Their crime? They were grapes of resistance. Resistance to pests and diseases that, for more “noble” grapes, must be controlled with chemical sprays.
In spite of laws specifically banning these grapes from European soils and attempts to demean their wines, rebellious farmers have defended their value and defied their prohibition.
Resistant grape varieties may yet have the last word.
This film takes you inside stunning rural landscapes in France, Italy, Austria, Romania and the United States where the resistant vines are living history and their unique wines have a passionate following.
walking the tightrope
documentary by Alain Albaric & Stéphan Balay, 2016, 110 min.
What is happening behind the walls of a Medical-Educational Institute (IME)?
The directors immersed themselves in the everyday lives of the children and teenagers, not only by following them in their different school and pre-professional learning activities but also by attending their various workshops on self-expression, socialisation and autonomy, both at the IME and externally.
What happens during these workshops? How are teaching methods adapted to the needs of the children? How are the children taken care of, both on an individual and collective basis? How are these kids given a chance to speak? How is the individuality of each child received? How is the process of becoming an adult considered? How do these professionals, through the links they forge, create a place for living and socialising outside of the institution?
Keywords: gendarmes resistance fighters, resistance, Sengler network, deportation, concentration camp, Shoah, holocaust, Hitler, SS, gestapo, Dachau, Auschwitz, Mauthausen, Ebensee, gas chamber, provenchères-sur-Fave, gendarmerie, World War II, 39 45