2009 Edition
Organized by: Roman Museum of Nyon
Manager: Mr Christophe Goumand
A busy and convivial anniversary
As the Festival celebrated its first decade, we were delighted by the enthusiasm of the audience, who gave us a packed house right from the opening night. The friendly atmosphere and warm welcome that are the Festival's hallmarks were once again on display.
Meeting between the public and archaeologists
The Festival is also an opportunity for the public to meet archaeologists, and we're keen to highlight the fact that archaeology is first and foremost the work of men and women in touch with concrete realities. Meeting them brings an invaluable human dimension, and so we were honoured to welcome Gilbert Kaenel, Philippe Bridel and Jean Clottes, three eminent researchers active in fields as diverse as Western European protohistory, Egyptian monasticism in the early Christian centuries and prehistoric rock art.
From these presentations, as well as from a number of films, it is clear that archaeology is driven more by individuals than by institutions, even if it naturally needs an institutional place to be able to exercise its activities. Far from being shielded from life's vicissitudes, archaeology can be the object of a variety of recuperations, reflecting in its own way the concerns and workings of today's societies.
Programming and directors
In ten years, the quality of the films presented has increased considerably. Television channels, increasingly inclined to program archaeological films, have undeniably contributed to this progression, enabling us to ensure a quality program throughout the week.
For the first time, we had enough local archaeology films to offer an entire evening dedicated to this production, an evening which was very well received by the public.
More and more filmmakers are discovering the Festival and coming to Nyon to present their films and make promising contacts. In 2009, they came from France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Israel and Spain.
Prize list
The awards list reflects the jury's sensitivity not so much to films that feature the results, more or less spectacular, of archaeological research, as to works that express the involvement of this science in the vicissitudes of life and the questioning that goes beyond the horizon of its strict practice. This is clearly the case with the three prizes awarded to "The Mystery of the Flores Man", "The Excavations of Discord" and "Forgetting the Past".
The jury
Chairman
- Jean Terrier, Cantonal archaeologist, Geneva.
Members
- Tahar Ben Redjeb, Research engineer at DRAC Picardie (regional archaeology department), Amiens, France .
- Marie-Laure Widmer-Baggiolini, Producer, Temps Présent, Télévision Suisse Romande, Geneva.
- Jean-Luc Bouvret, Director, Paris, France.
- Corinne Martin, Assistant Manager, Fonction cinéma, Geneva.
