OUR ORIGINS

In 1978, the authorities of the young Mozambican republic invited renowned filmmakers to document the country's transformations. Instead, Jean Rouch suggested training future local filmmakers to capture their own reality. Along with Jacques d’Arthuys, the cultural attaché at the French Embassy, they established a documentary film training workshop based on a timeless teaching method: learning through practice. Following this initial experience, a workshop was set up in Paris in 1980 for trainees from various countries. That same year, this initiative expanded to other countries, marking the beginning of the Ateliers Varan.

At the Ateliers Varan, students learn to broaden their perspectives on the world through the practice of documentary filmmaking.

This isn't a traditional academic institution; its teaching methods strongly emphasize hands-on learning. For each student, everything revolves around the creation of full-scale films. It's also a space of freedom where participants are invited to undergo a genuine cinematic experience. Aspiring filmmakers learn to forge their own paths in cinematic language. Each trainee learns about cinematic writing, cinematography, sound recording, directing, and editing by making their own film.

Making a film accelerates and solidifies the learning process.

In the tradition of direct cinema pioneers like Jean Rouch, Richard Leacock, Pierre Perrault, and Frederick Wiseman, the teaching at the Ateliers Varan involves giving voice to those often unheard, restoring their unique rhythms and complexities over time. It also teaches students to either step back or take a supportive role, finding the most relevant perspective, defining their viewpoint, and situating their gaze.

Students participate in all stages of film production, working on their own film's image work and contributing to the sound for their peers' projects. It's a dynamic pedagogy, where the mandatory collective sharing at every stage of film creation enriches the individual approach and sharpens critical insight.

In addition to the renowned 12-week film-making course, the Ateliers Varan offers professional training programs that explore current documentary practices, from project writing to editing and advanced sound design. These new programs, tailored to the rise of digital video and the current documentary production context, employ the collective pedagogy developed by Ateliers Varan, blending practice with ethical reflection, analysis of significant works, and the pursuit of personal expression.

Ateliers Varan, an internationally recognized film school, is a member of CILECT (Centre International de Liaison des Ecoles de Cinéma et de Télévision), which includes leading film schools worldwide, and GEECT (Groupement Européen des Ecoles de Cinéma et de Télévision), the European branch of CILECT.

LEARNING THROUGH PRACTICE

Trainees are offered some general principles and choices:

• Every film creates its own system of expression, often outside conventional rules. Documentary cinema cannot impose a predefined framework on the world; it must be imagined, tested, and adjusted. At the ateliers Varan, there are no recipes for making or editing a film because none exist. We aim to align perspectives and judgment around core values: interest, sincerity, respect for the subjects filmed, and the integrity of a filmmaking approach that editing clarifies and strengthens.

• Every documentary shoot encounters the unexpected: reality exceeds preconceived ideas, and characters resist being reduced to archetypes. The film must continuously adapt to this complexity, and the experience of making it should modify and enrich our viewpoint.

• It's not just about describing reality but questioning it. Documentary perspectives are never neutral; films open a window to the world and are inevitably influenced by it. However, documentaries don't offer a system of knowledge but create a space for thought: questions, rather than answers, drive the films.

• Serious observation doesn't exclude the need for a dramatic dimension: films can include mysteries, suspense, surprises, and reversals, leaving room for emotion.

• Reality is not simply filmed; it must be "staged". Staging doesn't mean manipulation, but recognizing that every documentary creates a viewpoint, constructs a representation, interprets reality, and develops characters.

ASSOCIATION'S MEMBERS

The Ateliers Varan association comprises around forty cinema professionals: directors, editors, producers, etc. They share their experiences and professional practices during various workshops organized in France and worldwide. Discover the members of the Ateliers Varan

PERMANENT TEAM

The permanent team at the Ateliers Varan consists of four people:

• Manon Blanfumet, General Administrator

• Frédéric Cueff, Technical manager

• Fanny Chapuis, Training Coordinator

• Fiona Todeschini, Development and Communication Manager