ALEGRIA PRODUCTIONS
ALEGRIA PRODUCTIONS specializes in creative documentaries in association with European and international broadcasters. The films deal with important contemporary issues and are written and directed by international directors who wish to reach large audiences.
With more than 50 creative documentaries, distributed in most of the world, ALEGRIA PRODUCTIONS has particularly made its name with historical films. We can cite THE HOUSE OF SAUD, by Jihan El Tahri, PAKISTAN ZINDABAD by Pascale Lamché, THE VATICAN’S LOST WAR? by Patrick Benquet, KOREA: THE IMPOSSIBLE REUNIFICATION? by Pierre-Olivier François and ERDOGAN, THE MAKING OF A SULTAN by Gilles Cayatte.
In 2013, ALEGRIA PRODUCTIONS received the price of best production company of documentaries in France.
These films are united by an approach that seeks to tell world history through the voices of those who have made it. It means providing the means to tell a story from the inside. Combining the precious knowledge of the people who have made the history of these societies with the inquisitive, amiable and demanding eye of directors and authors who capture a wealth of material during scouting, shooting and archive research.
It also involves shedding light on the history being made today by looking at current crises, such the tensions the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with FIVE BROKEN CAMERAS by Guy Davidi and Emad Burnat (Sundance director’s price 2012, Oscar Nomination 2013 – International Emmy Award 2013), the 3 years long Colombian peace process with WHEN THE GUNS GO SILENT by Natalia Orozco, the UN facing conflicts with UN, LAST STATION BEFORE HELL by Pierre-Olivier François.
ALEGRIA PRODUCTIONS also takes on projects in the artistic and cultural field as in PAUL KLEE, THE SILENCE of the Angel by Michael Gaumnitz, or, THE WONDERFUL KINGDOM OF PAPA ALAEV by Tal Barda and Noam Pinchas.
ALEGRIA PRODUCTIONS is also keen to pursue its exploration of new formats for new media. With 24 HOURS JERUSALEM, an exciting potential has been initiated through implementation of pertinent interactive interfaces: non-linear narration, systems that give webgoers/viewers room to grasp the docs, adapt them to their own questions and open up dialogue with others. All this is about broadening the scope of our experiments to open the field of documentary film even further.
With our ultimate documentary serie ONE DAY IN TEHRAN, the same care and attention that we put into scrutinizing the political, social and economic shifts in the world must also be put into the realm of sensitivity and the imagination, or else we run the risk of being deaf and blind to the forces that bring change to our world.
Christine Camdessus
Christine Camdessus launched her production company ALEGRIA PRODUCTIONS, in 2001. For the last 15 years, Christine Camdessus has been Chairman of the jury and permanent Expert in NIPKOW (Berlin), expert for IDFA Academy, DOKIncubator and EDN. She was vice-president of USPA (leading television producers union in France) from 2014-18. She is a member of European Documentary Network and of the European Film Academy.