Documentary Film Month is an international operation that has been taking place since 2000, every November. It is "an unmissable event to discover films and exchange ideas on the world ...".
In France, Documentary Film Month takes place in 700 libraries, 350 cinemas, more than a hundred schools, colleges, high schools and universities, more than 500 cultural establishments and associations and a hundred social structures. Each one imagines a thematic program, chooses the films and organizes its sessions, in complete autonomy or by relying on the proposals of Images in libraries. The idea is to promote the creation documentary because it is poorly represented on television and in cinemas, despite the efforts of a number of partners.
Many screenings are accompanied by events such as debates, exhibitions, practical workshops, conferences, etc.
Each year, several films are offered in the Normandy South Eure region (media libraries and cinema).
In 2018, on the occasion of the 19nd edition, I went to attend one of the 46 sessions scheduled in the Eure department. Jhave chosen the choice of Le Kiosque media library de Breteuil “When I was 6 years old, I killed a dragon”, directed by Bruno Romy. It tells the story of his daughter, Mika, who has leukemia and their battle with this disease. As a mother, this subject attracts me and scares me at the same time. But the documentary is presented as "a colorful, unique logbook, full of humor and poetry". The announced presence of the director, allowing a debate on the subject, completes to convince me.
So here I am on my way to this event. Night has fallen, the fog and the yellow vests demonstrations will not get the better of my motivation. The library is a modern and functional building, hidden at the end of a one-way street, located at the edge of a magnificent public garden of several hectares.
On my arrival, the place is calm and silent. I'm a little early. The two librarians greet me with a smile. A table is set at the entrance to the room. Which lets me predict a drink of friendship at the end of the session. The screening room is small and intimate. People are arriving little by little and we are invited to sit in the screening room. The atmosphere is friendly. Among the public are librarians from other municipalities, a school teacher and her teenage daughters, a bunch of girlfriends who take advantage of this evening to have a good time together. There is also women and men of all ages, who seem familiar with the media library or the festival.
A librarian thanks us for our presence and introduces Bruno Romy and his family, who do us the honor of being here this evening. The director, a simple and sympathetic man, anticipates the question that we regularly ask him by telling us that Mika, here present, is in good health today. He said no more and wished us a pleasant projection.
The light goes out and the film begins. The documentary alternates intimate and moving sequences with burlesque and light scenes. We follow the journey of this family from the announcement of the disease, hospitalization, until the onset of remission and return to school.
At the end of the credits, no one dares to move. Some people wipe away a few tears, others are immersed in intense reflection. The lights come back on and Bruno Romy and his family sit on stools facing the public. They are waiting for the first questions. An awkward silence is made… The director puts us at ease by explaining that “it always does that after each session! " I smile.
A man launches out and simply congratulates them on the making of this documentary. Immediately, the applause resound and we feel that the whole assembly approves! Over the questions, we will learn that this documentary was first conceived as a tool to answer the anxieties and questions of Mika's classmates. Then the project gained momentum and France Television supported it. The short film went from 25 to 70 minutes before being broadcast on France 2 in February 2016. Philippe Katerine, whose young Mika listened to the songs on repeat during his hospitalization, signs the soundtrack of the film.
This is Bruno Romy, director of burlesque comedies (including Rumba, with Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon, 2008), who initiated this project with the sole motivation of creating an educational tool. His wife joined in. His daughter followed the idea without fully understanding the goal at the time.
Today, Bruno Romy is fighting to make his documentary known and circulate within the medical and teaching staff. A job not always easy since the man comes up against people who fear shocking families in the face of this still too taboo subject of illness in children. We will learn that for the past two weeks, this documentary has been supported by the association Plaster which aims to guide children in the context of medical and hospital care. It will be included in the kit offered to parents of children with leukemia.
The librarians of the media library invite us to continue our conversation over a glass of apple juice or cider. The more relaxed context then allows everyone to ask the questions they want in a more discreet way. The tongues are loosened and some confide having worked with families living this experience of the disease and not daring to question them or understand their daily life. Others plan to introduce this documentary to a particular school to consider a public screening.
I approach the director timidly and ask him if, today, Mika still has a certain fear of hospitals. Bruno Romy tells me that, not long ago, when she was 12 years old, she taught them that she wanted to become a doctor! Let us wish her that one day she will be able to whisper in the ear of a child "When I was 6 years old, I killed a dragon." Today, I will help you fight yours ”.
Documentary Film Month is therefore an event allowing to discover audiovisual works and their directors, but not only. It brings together the population around various and varied subjects, serious or light. It challenges the individual on a facet of society or history rarely discussed in the media. Finally, and this is particularly the case here, it makes it possible to tackle sometimes taboo subjects and offers bridges, over the course of the meetings, to promote the work to new audiences.