Screening of On the Adamant (Sur l'adamant)

On the Adamant (Sur l'adamant)
Nicolas Philibert, 2023, Documentary, 109 min.
In French with English subtitles
Screening followed by a Q&A with Lena Green and Fanny Guex
Location: East Gallery, Maison Française, Buell Hall

Winner of the Golden Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival, this affecting, enlightening documentary from nonfiction master Nicolas Philibert (To Be and to Have, In the Land of the Deaf) invites viewers to come aboard the Adamant and witness the transformative power of art and community. The Adamant is a one-of-a-kind place: a floating refuge on the Seine River in the heart of Paris that offers day programs for adults with mental illnesses. Its attendees come from across the city and are offered care that grounds them in time and space, helping them achieve recovery and stability. Through a blend of therapy, education, and culture rooted in music and the arts, the Adamant offers a hopeful vision of what a humanistic approach to mental health care can look like. The community on the boat is intentionally created so that both the staff and the people receiving care are treated with the same respect and dignity. 

Nicolas Philibert studied philosophy at the University of Grenoble. Ever since the international success of Le pays des sourds (1992), a stunning and lyrical documentary about the world of the deaf, he has been regarded as one of the most important contemporary filmmakers. Être et avoir (2002) won the European Film Award for best documentary.

Lina Green is Lecturer in Social Work at Columbia University and currently serves as the executive director of the HOPE Center, a community-based mental health clinic connected to Harlem’s historic First Corinthian Baptist Church.

Fanny Guex is the Associate Director of the Columbia Maison Française.

More information about Maison Francaise Film Festival Fall 2024 CINEMA/CARE

Host or Publisher CU Maison Française