Synopsis
In August 2023, Elsa Pennachio and Étienne de Villars were in residence at the Studio Image et Mouvement at SAS des Baumettes prison to introduce, through a writing project, inmates training in cinema and audiovisual arts to film and 16mm. They brought with them a model of a building and a rear window overlooking a courtyard. Together with the inmates, they would imagine and write stories born from the inner voices that inhabit this imaginary block of apartments. The window thus provided a screen that allowed for both anonymity through silhouettes and the unveiling of words. The film evokes, in a dreamlike way, cohabitation and solitude within the same building. Through the choice of a room and a story to tell, the window allows for the expression of unique identities. While some inmates allude to prison in the texts they write, others choose to talk about their neighborhood or their native country. The noise produced by a zealous handyman connects all the windows of the building, ultimately damaging its structure.
Credits
Production and distribution (2)
- Executive Producer : Lieux Fictifs
- Film exports/foreign sales : Lieux Fictifs
Full credits (9)
- Executive Producer : Caroline Caccavale
- Screenwriters : Elsa Pennachio, Étienne de Villars
- Music Composer : Anouar Brahem
- Editor : Elsa Pennachio
- Sound Recordist : Étienne de Villars
- Sound Editor : Étienne de Villars
- Production Designer : Yasine El Mzaoug
- Grader : Elliott Mattiussi
- Sound Mixer : Hugo Debrie
Technical details
- Type : Short film
- Genres : Documentary, Experimental
- Themes : Jail
- Production language : French
- Production country : France
- Original French-language productions : Unspecified
- Nationality : 100% French (France)
- Production year : 2024
- Runtime : 13 min 32 seconds
- Production formats : 16mm
- Color type : Black & White
- Aspect ratio : 1.66
- Audio format : 5.1
- Rating restrictions : None
News & awards
News (2)
Selections (1)
International Short Film Festival Oberhausen
Germany, 2025
International Competition
Children's and Youth Film Competition

Awards (2)

International Short Film Festival Oberhausen
Germany, 2025
Mention du jury du ministère des Sciences et de la Culture du Bas-Rhin

Delegations (1)
International Short Film Festival Oberhausen
Germany, 2025
Director : Elsa Pennachio
Director : Étienne de Villars

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