D'arbres et de charbon
Bénédicte Liénard
Belgium | 2012 | 58 min
Language : French
Following a terrible mining accident in the Borinage area of Belgium, the director’s family are granted a small piece of woodland in compensation. In this place, the major and minor events of life are experienced and filmed. It is therefore here (though also in other locations) that, on hearing that her father is terminally ill, Bénédicte Liénard looks for images that will help her understand her roots.
Following a terrible mining accident in the Borinage area of Belgium, Bénédicte Liénard’s family are compensated by the grant of a small piece of woodland, planted over an old coal mine. From generation to generation, men and women care for this plot, which soon becomes the scene of the major and minor events of their lives. There they share the joys of weddings and baptisms, and also sadder moments of parting and grief. Sometimes, the wood is even transformed into a set for making home videos. This “here” is the point of departure for “elsewhere”, for the filmmaker’s journeys into the real world and the world of the imagination. “When I heard that my father was terminally ill, I needed to get a better grasp of the connections between me and his life story. So I went in search of images. Using different media, conveying impressions, I freely investigate the origins of my family. Exploring their most intimate memories, I sometimes get away from these trees planted in this coal-black soil” (BL).
Luciano Barisone
Translation BMP Translations
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