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"Nous sommes en août 1994. Frédéric Laffont, journaliste et réalisateur, vient d'arriver à Kigali pour filmer durant un an la mise en place puis les audiences de cette cour extraordinaire. Maudits soient les yeux fermés... est bien un film sur l'histoire. Mais, précieusement, pour la première fois il raconte l'impalpable : comment on oublie." Damn closed eyes Grand Prix Angers, Golden Screen Montreal 1996 Life: "A stone in the pond, with infinite shock waves." Le Monde: "Frédéric Laffont's film is not a documentary on the massacres: we will not see an image of the atrocities committed between April and July 1994, according to a premeditated plan at the state level; nor will we hear the testimonies of the survivors. Cursed Be Your Eyes Closed describes the isolated, impossible struggle of three individuals determined to gather the facts and testimonies so that history is not rewritten and justice is done. They encounter only obstacles and threats. Laffont's film is like a trace of the silence that spreads. Reread Primo Levi." Libération: "It's August 1994. Frédéric Laffont, journalist and director, has just arrived in Kigali to spend a year filming the establishment and then the hearings of this extraordinary court. "I wanted to document the writing of history. In 1945, the Nuremberg trials and its -Never Again- were the foundations of our current world." As the end credits roll, the camera suddenly returns to Rwanda, to the scene of the massacre, skulls, bones, suitcases scattered about. A shock. In an hour and a half, we already had lost all memory. Cursed Be Your Closed Eyes... is indeed a film about history. But, preciously, for the first time, he tells the intangible: how we forget." English version: CURSED BE CLOSED EYES Duration: 45' © Interscoop, BBC, 1996 A film by Frédéric Laffont Edited by Jean-François Giré Duration: 54' © Interscoop, La Sept/Arte, 1995 Rwanda, 1994. A genocide. How can we write history and demand justice? Three individuals seeking justice in Rwanda By CORINE LESNES Le Monde, December 3, 1995, at 12:00 a.m. Director of the Interscoop agency, winner of the Albert Londres Prize, author of numerous highly acclaimed reports, Frédéric Laffont could probably not avoid this unprecedented event in the history of the second half of the twentieth century: a genocide recognized by the UN. He tackled the subject in August 1994 and worked on it for over a year. A year of traveling back and forth between Paris and Kigali. Plus a few additional trips: The Hague (where the international tribunal is based), New York (for a meeting at the UN's 3341 office), Brussels (where Hutu opponents and those disappointed with the new Tutsi regime rub shoulders). The result: Rwanda, Maudits soient les yeux fermés (Rwanda, Damn the Closed Eyes), an 80-minute documentary co-produced by La Sept, Arte, and Interscoop; and a book, Maudits soient les yeux fermés, written in collaboration with Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier and published by J.-C. Lattès-Arte. The director chose to focus his work on the theme of justice by following three characters, all equally committed to ensuring that history is not diluted by the pragmatism of reconciliation, but who we see gradually throwing in the towel. The first, Joseph Matata, a Hutu human rights activist, was abroad when the genocide began. From Kigali to Brussels, where he ended up taking refuge to write a play about the “Rwandan tragedy” (both past and today), we see him typing on his old typewriter the testimonies of the survivors he interviewed in the hills. He does this work as much for himself as for history, because the director makes no secret of the fact that these testimonies have no legal value for the official authorities. The second is a Hutu, a former rebel who fought against the Rwandan government. In his imposed ordeal, Frédéric Laffont was able to choose the tone and music that suit the images of piled-up human remains, without which there seems to be no vision of Rwanda anymore. But his most powerful images show the living, the prisoners, also piled up by the thousands in their cells. They appear almost as an afterthought in the film, as if the director himself had been a little afraid of them. Yet they are the most striking, the most disturbing, and some Rwandans who attended the preview screening in Paris were not mistaken. They immediately denounced it as a “political” maneuver, repeating that the fate of the prisoners, alleged perpetrators of the genocide, could not be equated with that of the Tutsis and progressive Hutus in 1994. Nevertheless. We reported here in January on the overcrowded prisons and the harrowing visit. They had 14,000 inmates. Today, there are 59,000. We wondered how they could all lie down at the same time. Today, they are literally walking all over each other. Frédéric Laffont's camera follows them at ground level, where their feet are tangled together. Among the most common diseases, in addition to dysentery, are now lower limb injuries and necrosis of the toes. Unable to rest regularly, the inmates' legs suffer from edema, which sometimes requires amputation. Fifteen months after the first arrests, no detainees have been tried. Although the UN and the ICRC have set up new detention centers, no detainees have yet been transferred there. According to Doctors Without Borders, the number of human bites is also increasing in these places, not to mention the concentration camps that prisons have become.

Un film documentaire de Frédéric Laffont pour le cinéma. Face à l’ennemi Poutine pour qui les Ukrainiens n’auraient ni identité ni culture, tous se battent. Des enfants et les grands-mères aussi. Nos proches, nos voisins. Nous, l’Ukraine. Nous, l’Europe. We, Ukraine feature documentary, 2025 A documentary film for the cinema. Three years of work since the Russian invasion of 2022. Think film's impact campaign, We Ukraine, for concrete European support for Ukrainian culture. Coming soon... To resist Putin's war, culture is also a front line. Under the relentless threat of Russian bombardment, people dance and sing in defiance of the alarms, play theatre in a bomb shelter, publish books despite paper shortages, paint street art near the front, record music, open exhibitions in a closed museum, save endangered treasures, sew endless camouflage in the cellar, and behind the scenes, constantly raise money to provide drones and survival kits for soldiers... Faced with an enemy for whom Ukrainians have neither identity nor culture, everyone is fighting. Children and grandmothers too. Our loved ones, our neighbours. We, Ukraine. We, Europe. A film by Frédéric Laffont Produced by Dominique Barneaud Editing: Barbara Bossuet Catherine Rascon Length: 1h23' © Bellota Films, Camera Magica, 2025

Rwanda. Des mois après les massacres, l’herbe a repoussé. Sur un charnier, les restes d’un écolier reposent près de son manuel de lecture resté ouvert sur un extrait du Roman de Renart : "Maudits soient les yeux qui se ferment quand ils doivent rester ouverts..." Damn closed eyes Editions JC Lattès & Arte, 1995 Co-written with Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, doctor of law, legal officer of Doctors Without Borders. Rwanda. Months after the massacres, the grass has grown back. In a mass grave, the remains of a schoolboy lie near his reading book, which has been left open to an excerpt from The Romance of Renart: "Cursed be the eyes that close when they should remain open..." Never again! Despite this solemn promise, fifty years after the Nazi death camps, another genocide exterminates human beings for who they are. Their only "fault": being born Tutsi, just as others were born Jewish, Gypsy, or Armenian. Who will bring justice? At mass graves and in international organizations, a litany of empty promises serves as a funeral tribute. Only isolated individuals attempt to establish the facts, to write history. Among these grains of sand supposed to stop the machine of silence: Françoise, Joseph, and François-Xavier. A European lawyer, a Rwandan human rights activist, and the Kigali Public Prosecutor, they recount their quest for justice. This book is the result of a year of commitment and investigation across the world. A reflection forged through contact with the realities of the field and the people. This story resonates far beyond the thousand hills of Rwanda... So that the augury of "Never again" is no longer a lie addressed to future generations. Life: “A stone in the pond, with infinite shock waves.”

Sur les sommets enneigés du Jura suisse, les horlogers sont aujourd’hui le fer de lance d’une industrie fructueuse. Dans les manufactures de Parmigiani, Frédéric Laffont filme au plus près de l’intelligence de la main. Measure and excess A film by Frédéric Laffont Duration: 54' Edited by Catherine Rascon © Sandoz Family Foundation, 2013 The snow-capped peaks of the Swiss Jura and the demands of the hundredth of a millimeter. Once threatened with extinction, watchmakers are today the spearhead of a profitable industry. In the Parmigiani factories, as close as possible to the intelligence of the hand.

Explorez le parcours de Frédéric Laffont, réalisateur primé et fondateur de Camera Magica. Une œuvre documentaire guidée par l’engagement et l’humanité. Founder of Camera Magica, Frédéric Laffont chronicles the world with a handheld camera and an open heart. This page invites you to discover his career, his commitments, and what inspires his documentary filmmaker's perspective. Merry-go-round rides then world tours. Around sixty films: major reports and documentaries. Albert Londres Prize for a report on the war in Lebanon. A collection of short films for Hermès. A feature film shot in Ukraine since 2022. Literary essays written in Paris, Jerusalem, Kigali and Kabul too. Frédéric Laffont His documentaries have the strange beauty of Pasolini's early films. L'Express A rare filmmaker. Le Nouvel Obs. Selected filmography Nous, l’Ukraine 2025, long-métrage cinéma. Empreintes sur le monde 2025, Collection d'Hermès de courts-métrages. La vie devant nous France, 2022. FIPADOC 2022. Couleur café Inde, 2019. Les Enchanteurs Belgique, 2017. Étoile SCAM. Cowboys don’t cry Texas, 2015. Mesure et démesure Jura suisse, 2014. Liban, des guerres et des hommes (série 3 x 52’) FIPA & Étoile SCAM, 2014. Dans les bottes de Clint Texas, Étoile SCAM 2013. Les mains d’Hermès France, 2011. 1$ pour une vie Burkina, Mali, Inde, USA, 2009. FIPA 2010. Voyage au centre de la Bibliothèque Paris, 2007. 1001 jours Israël-Palestine, Étoile SCAM 2007. TOKYO BLUES & SUSHIS CONFITS Japon, 2004. Poussières de Paix Israël-Palestine, Prix Festival d’Angers 2002. Secrets de cuisine de l’Ambroisie France, 2001. Fleur de Cannelle Chili, 2000. Liban, voyages, voyages Grand Prix Ptolémée de Géographie, 2000. Banlieue Olympique France, 1998. planète CNN USA, Bosnie, Jérusalem, 1997. Fugues américaines Louisiane, Prix Saulieu 1996. Anges et démons de la cité France, 1994. CAPTAIN W, ASTRONAUTE USA, 1994. Le Menu France, 1994. Maudits soient les yeux fermés Rwanda, 1996. Grand Prix Angers et Écran d’Or Montréal 1996. Dieu, poste restante, Jerusalem Jérusalem, 1993. A quoi rêvent les boxeurs ? France, Grand Prix Palerme, 1994. Ramdam sur terre et mer France, 1993. Entracte au Château de Prague République tchèque, 1993. Beyrouth,des balles et des ballons Nymphe d’Or & Prix critique internationale Festival Monte-Carlo, 1993. Poussières de Guerre Afghanistan, URSS. Grand Prix Angers & Festival Rueil, 1990. À corps, À cœur, À cris Monde, 20 ans MSF, 1992. Prix Spécial Festival Int. Monte-Carlo, 1992. Autofolies France, 1990. L’opium du peuple URSS, 1988. Colères noires de Soweto Afrique du Sud, 1988. On s’aimait tant à Santiago Chili, 1988. Pas de larmes pour Mao Chine, Meilleur Reporter d’Image, 1987. La guerre des nerfs Liban, P rix Albert Londres, 1987. La mer arrive encore au Liban Prix du jury Festival Monte-Carlo, 1987. Shanghai New Look Chine, 1985. Each of these films tells a story, a perspective, a part of truth. Through Camera Magica, Frédéric Laffont continues to capture humanity in its most fragile and luminous form. His career demonstrates a loyalty to commitment, to the right emotion, to a story that moves. And behind each image, always the same intention: to film with the heart.

"Mille et un jours n’est pas un documentaire de plus sur le conflit israélo-palestinien, mais un essai cinématographique original et plein d’intelligence. Entre documentaire et fiction, Frédéric Laffont signe un film plein d’espoir. Un lumineux message de paix." A thousand and one days Etoile SCAM 2007 Le Nouvel Observateur: “A Thousand and One Days is not just another documentary on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but an original, intelligent film essay. Another way of telling the story, another way of seeing the conflict. Part documentary, part fiction, Frédéric Laffont's film is full of hope. A luminous message of peace. Synopsis: “Isn't this the best role cinema can play in this conflict? Le Point: “One of our best political documentary filmmakers attempts to ‘un-witch’ the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (...) An atypical, gripping film, to be shown in all schools.” Studio: “A Thousand and One Days is unlike any other documentary. Far from any angelism, this work, both poetic and brutal, deserves your full attention. Fascinating.” Les nouvelles Fiches du cinéma: “F.Laffont strives to render the daily reality of these men and women, without bias. In the name of humanity. A look filled with accuracy, respect and dignity.” Press review A film by Frédéric Laffont Editing: Guy Lecorne Lenght: 1h18' © Albert films, Archipel 35, France 2 Cinéma, 2003 What can I tell you? The stone, the chariot, the olive trees being felled? Of course I'll tell you... I'll also tell you stories, faces and hope: a thousand and one paths that will lead to peace. One day. Night shines for a moment, then it's day again.

Un documentaire de Frédéric Laffont. Au plus près des hommes, des Israéliens, des Palestiniens, et parfois de Dieu, par le courrier. God, poste restante, Jerusalem A film by Frédéric Laffont Editing: Jean-François Giré Length: 50' © Interscoop, France 3, Tele-Europe, 1993 La Croix : "Frédéric Laffont's production for Zanzibar is similar to his film "Beyrouth, des balles et des ballons", which won the Golden Nymph at the Monte Carlo Film Festival, with the same sensitive approach to the man thrown into history and the same accuracy of tone in mastering a complex reality." With the postmen of Jerusalem, from one address to another, from one neighbourhood to another, from one world to another. Letters from cousins in America for some, letters from prison for others, love letters too... Some of the letters are addressed directly to ‘God, poste restante, Jerusalem’. Close to people, Israelis, Palestinians, and sometimes God, through the mail.

Cette passionnante enquête nous entraîne en URSS, au Pakistan, à Kaboul et clandestinement dans les provinces d’Afghanistan. Dust of War Editions Robert Laffont, 1985 Co-written with Christophe de Ponfilly, Albert Londres Prize 1985. When the song of arms passes, comes the time of tears. Wars pass through history like whirlwinds. For the Soviets, the war in Afghanistan lasted ten years; for the Afghans, it continues. Beyond the event, this book tells the terrible story of the men plunged into war. On both sides, the combatants and their loved ones confide in the great reporters, both winners of the Albert Londres Prize. Through their encounters, Ponfilly and Laffont paint a vast fresco of the absurd, where the gazes of men who killed each other without ever knowing each other meet. This exciting adventure takes us to the USSR, Pakistan, Kabul and clandestinely to the provinces of Afghanistan. A year of investigation for an exceptional document. Le Monde: "A relentless indictment of the obscenity of war." VSD: “A magnificent piece of work. The spirit of great reporting in its purest form.” Le Figaro: “Christophe de Ponfilly and Frédéric Laffont have tracked down, in both camps, the stigmata of the absurd Soviet-Afghan conflict. A formidable exercise, admirable result.”

"Frédéric Laffont brosse sans flagornerie et par touches impressionnistes les paradoxes d’Hermès. Le résultat ne ressemble en rien aux sommes habituelles et complaisantes que l’industrie du luxe imprime à tour de bras…" At 24 Faubourg Saint-Honoré Editions L'Iconoclaste, 2024 24 Faubourg-Saint-Honoré in Paris is not just the address of a well-known store worldwide. This building is the site of an enigma, that of the house of Hermès. A place inhabited by women and men as much as by spirits, where time seems to flow differently. A place with its history, its culture, its grammar and lexicon, its myths and its rites. It took a writer and a great traveler to explore this territory and restore its spirit. Europe 1, 27 oct 2024 Various translations currently being published. Vanity Fair: “A war reporter immersed at Hermès. Two years of writing. The result: a unique book, full of anecdotes. Exquisite.” Le Monde M: “Delectable. A tender tale. The author paints the paradoxes of Hermès without flattery and with impressionistic touches. The result is nothing like the usual, complacent sums that the luxury industry prints left, right and centre…” Harper's Bazaar: "While the writer is used to exploring popular cultures, his new adventure pushes open the doors of a century-old house. Two years in the land of Hermès. A book that immerses you in the grandiose Hermès adventure." Prima: “A captivating novel about a mysterious dynasty. Fascinating!” Booksellers' Pages: "A song of deeds. A moving book. The magic of this writing still works." Europe 1: “A truly great book. Eminently poetic. Frédéric Laffont dazzled us three years ago with a book about Chef Bernard Pacaud. He returns to us with a travel story in a strange land. An incredible book, brilliantly written. Masterful language. Literary and magnificent!” Librairie Lamartine: “A story steeped in rare humanity. One of the best books of the year.” The Pavilion of Literature (Belgium): “An essay that enchants, sparkles and throbs with the tribal spirit and roots of the House of Hermès, by Frédéric Laffont, the wonderful author of A Life in Detail. A song of gesture and spirit, made up of twenty-five thematic songs that takes us into the soul of the brand, through its actors…” LeA Bookstore: “Impressionist touches. A surprise! Read in one sitting.” Librairie Galignani: “This book is a marvel, a true reader’s delight! Thank you.” Booksellers' Pages: "A grand journey into what he calls 'the tribe'. A true gem."

"Frédéric Laffont évite les commentaires. Il préfère laisser parler les images. On découvre le système et la philosophie de la chaîne CNN créée par Ted Turner. Le documentaire est remarquable, ce qu’il montre est inquiétant." Planet CNN Le Nouvel Obs: “A resounding success! Logically, after this extraordinary document, we should no longer be able to debate television in general, as we did before. By renouncing any strong judgment and banishing all commentary, Laffont in a way traps CNN's logic in its own way by letting the images speak for themselves. The existence of magnificent dissidents like Frédéric Laffont and of a refuge like Arte has never seemed so dramatically necessary to us…” Le Monde: "Frédéric Laffont avoids commentary. He prefers to let the images speak for themselves. We discover the system and the philosophy of the channel. The documentary is remarkable, what it shows is disturbing." A film by Frédéric Laffont Edited by Jean-François Giré Duration: 1h40' © La Sept Arte, Interscoop, 1997 CNN tells the world its own story. Continuous news? Among the Atlanta pioneers, the myth revisited.