A border marked by 4056 boundary stones on French soil, delimiting the frontier of the lost provinces of Alsace-Lorraine (1871-1918). They form a forgotten scar, a no man’s land of memory which I explore. We follow the boundaries, meeting landscapes and inhabitants, building an itinerary of thought, to provide visibility and status to this frontier, and make a monument of it.
Director Biography – Gilles Weinzaepflen
Gilles Weinzaepflen was born in Mulhouse (France, 1966). Holder of a Master’s degree in modern literature, he is a filmmaker, poet and musician.
In 2008, he shot “Prelude to sleep” (“Prélude au sommeil,” Les Films d’un jour, 52 min, France), a portrait of the French pioneer of electronic sounds Jean-Jacques Perrey (1929-2016). It was selected at the Cork film festival (Ireland), Lausanne Underground Film Festival (Switzerland), Filmer la Musique (Paris, France). Broadcast in Austria and France, it was presented on the channel Arte (Tracks). The documentary “La Poésie s’appelle reviens” (Les Films d’un jour, 2011, 56 min) presents an overview of the contemporary poetic field in France. It was selected at DOC-Cévennes (France), Montreal International Art Film Festival (Canada). “Le Liseré vert” (“The Green border”, Sancho & Co, 74 min, 2019) is a walk along the former and forgotten Franco-German border (1871-1918). It was awarded a SCAM star in 2020, the highest French documentary award.
As a musician, Gilles has released 7 records under the pseudonym Toog on various labels in France, Germany, Japan, Great Britain, USA. He toured extensively the world with the Scottish singer Momus. Asia Argento sings on his album “Lou étendue” (2004). He composed piano tracks for her movie “Incompresa” (Cannes Film Festival, 2014). He worked for the national French radio France Culture and the Festival d’Avignon.
Gilles published three poetry books : “L’égalité des signes” (Le Quartanier, Montreal, 2007), “Noël Jivaro” (Le Clou dans le Fer, Reims, 2011), and “Soleil grigri” (Lanskine, Paris, 2018) in France. He participated in anthologies (Flammarion, 2008), gave readings with the guitarist David Fenech.
Gilles Weinzaepflen is a member of the board of directors of Addoc (Association of Documentary Filmmakers).
Trailer
| Gilles Weinzaepflen Director Sancho & C° Producer Tristan Bordmann Cinematographer |
