Lola Burbail returns to the Nikon Festival with Jules Perm for a reimagined documentary format on the wildfires in Australia, which emerged spontaneously. Jules Perm began his artistic career in music before landing a role as a post-production assistant on the documentary film “Feminist Ripostes,” which delves into the wave of feminist activism seen on walls across France in recent years. He then delved into the realm of Raymond Depardon, a giant in the documentary world known for his numerous silent and authentic portrayals. In a media landscape dominated by sensationalism, Raymond Depardon, a spiritual mentor to Jules Perm, stands as an iconoclastic artist who lets people speak for themselves rather than imposing a pre-prepared narrative.
Lola Burbail and Jules Perm traveled to Australia, where the documentary’s storytelling begins. They settled into a garden that turned out to be private, where they gradually met the locals. Both filmmakers, they carried their cameras with them. Through conversations, they began to discuss the topic of wildfires in Australia. With climate change, forest fires have marked this year’s summer, particularly with the flame apocalypse experienced in Greece. In Australia, wildfires are nothing new.
In this documentary that never loses the viewer’s attention, conversations flow without respite. Conversations? More like reactions because, like Raymond Depardon, the two artists refrain from colluding with the testimonies of the locals. They strive to remain as conduits, not becoming the commanders of a reality they don’t fully comprehend through their experiences.
While the influence of Raymond Depardon on Lola Burbail and Jules Perm is undeniable, it’s in the documentary format that the influence of the young actress-director is felt. Indeed, Lola Burbail has extensively worked on social media, particularly on YouTube. She understands the power of short formats. Today, with the continuous flow of information on TV and the Internet, younger generations prefer short formats.
So, how do you condense four hours of footage into two minutes? That’s the challenge of editing. Because this brief testimonial shoot on a subject as serious as forest fires, though very brief, also leaves an impression, a mark. This is where the power of art lies, in the ability to convey a message or emotions. And it’s in these two minutes of testimonies interspersed only by the beauty of the Australian landscape and the destructive force of fire that we find a version of Australia far from the Wallaby and Kangaroo caricature. A concentrated dose of originality!
