Lozere, a scene of cinema
The Lozere landscapes attract film makers, to the point of making some say that Lozere is a film set. Film and TV directors have known how to exploit the sites, the light, the silence, at all times. Thus since the end of the 90s, every year, almost without exception, the department welcomes film crews. Everyone remembers La Grande Vadrouille, filmed in large part in Mende and its airfield for the final scene, but also 37° 2 le matin, Le Bâtard de Dieu, La Belle Verte... and Michael Kohlhaas, the film by Arnaud des Pallières, in competition for the Golden Palm in Cannes filmed in part at the Boissets farm on the Causse de Sauveterre; or Saint Jacques... la Mecque, by Coline Serreau. At the beginning of September 2013, Luc Besson and his team had been seen on the side of Saint-Chély-du-Tarn for the shooting of Lucy, with Scarlett Johansson and Morgan Freeman..
More recently, it was the turn of an Australian director to install his film crew for a new Netflix series in Margeride, in the surroundings of Grandrieu. Marine Francen directed her latest feature film, Le Semeur, in the beautiful natural setting of La Garde-Guérin. Rémi sans famille chose the landscapes of Aubrac in 2018. We can also mention the well-named Antoinette in the Cevennes, by Caroline Vigna in 2020 and Les chemins de Pierre, shot in 2021, with Oscar-winning actor Jean Dujardin.
On a documentary side, the photographer and filmmaker Raymond Depardon delivers him Profils paysans, la vie moderne, in three episodes. Released in 2001, the first part of his trilogy focuses on the disappearing rural world and films, up close, Marcel Privat, one of the last shepherds of Lozere.
The cinema cultivates social ties
If Lozere does not have multiplexes, and only has real movie theaters in the most important towns, it is not for all that poor in projections of all kinds, thanks in particular to the association Cinéco, which officiates from the Cevennes to the Lozere Mount. Eclectic programming where you can enjoy original and alternative documentaries, and recent, even very recent films, Cinéco goes from village to village with its projection equipment, adapting to theaters. The rates are advantageous, with the possibility of subscription, and adapted to the relative comfort of the places where the projections take place. The great advantage is to meet in small groups, without driving a lot, which is not negligible in winter, in a friendly atmosphere, twice a month. Programming on www.cineco.org
In Saint-Chély-d'Apcher, Ciné-Théâtre offers films seven days a week, as well as film-debates and film-snacks on a more occasional basis. The theater, which attracts people from a radius of 30 kilometers around the town, also broadcasts operas, ballets and plays in its small modular space. Program on cinematheatre.wordpress.com
A culture of proximity
Artistic creation in Lozere exists in a diffuse way, on the whole territory. Without big cultural structures, the department remains dynamic, with this singular scheme, certainly scattered, but which allows to make live the music, the dance, the theater in every countryside, so remote is it. The Departmental School of Music of Lozère plays a leading role in this sense. Founded in 1990, it has about forty teachers and nearly 800 students, who sing, play and rehearse in one of the eleven teaching centers located in La Canourgue, Florac-Trois-Rivières, Gorges du Tarn Causses (Sainte-Enimie), Grandrieu, Langogne, Marvejols, Massegros Causses Gorges, Mende, Meyrueis, Pont de Montvert-Sud Mont Lozère and Villefort
In addition to musical education, the structure intervenes in schools, in Ehpad, in establishments for handicapped people... It organizes workshops of creation of music assisted by computer; and develops master classes, training courses, conferences, meetings..
The International Academy of Music and Dance of Lozère also offers quality musical education in the department, through courses organized exclusively during the summer. The structure, which celebrates its fortieth anniversary in 2022, has already welcomed more than 15,000 students from around the world. The students are mainly musicians and dancers, from beginners to the most experienced, who come to Lozère to prepare for national or international competitions. They are supervised by a teaching team composed of renowned professors and are brought to perform in public in the department. The courses take place in Mende and La Canourgue; accommodation is in a boarding school at the private high school Notre-Dame de Mende or in an accommodation chosen by the students themselves.
A living, breathing show!
The Scènes croisées de Lozère is a nationally recognized stage for the dissemination and creation of live performances in the Lozère department, and is also particularly active. Partners of the Departmental Council, associations and local cultural services, they accompany artists and offer a particularly dense program of shows (theater, dance, circus, puppets, street arts ...). The 2021/2022 season, for example, includes about fifty dates on different stages in the region: Meyrueis, Mende, Marvejols, Saint-Chély-d'Apcher, Saint-Alban-sur-Limagnole, Bagnols-les-Bains... The Scènes Croisées de Lozère have developed on the model of itinerancy and networking of the department. Program on scenescroisees.fr
