After its successful premiere in 2024, the second edition of Festival du Documentaire Scientifique returns with an even bolder weeklong programme
Thomas Pesquet’s journey to the International Space Station. Prehistoric cave paintings that revolutionized our understanding of early humans. Sunken temples and shipwrecks lying beneath the Mediterranean’s azure waters. These are just some of the stories waiting to unfold at Nice’s second Festival du Documentaire Scientifique, running 17-21 November at the Maison des Associations Garibaldi.
Building on the success of last year’s inaugural edition, the week-long event reflects Nice’s deep ties to marine research and Mediterranean archaeology and emphasizes themes that resonate with the region’s scientific heritage – particularly oceanography and prehistoric studies from the Côte d’Azur’s famous archaeological sites, but also the space industry in neighbouring Cannes.
The festival opens on 12 November with a preview screening of Gil Kebaili’s Planète Méditerranée (2019), with the director in attendance. From 17-21 November, daily programming explores four major scientific themes: space exploration and astronomy, archaeology and ancient history, biodiversity and nature, and human prehistory.
The 17 November screening of Thomas Pesquet: Objectif France (2023) is bound to be a major draw. Although France’s answer to Neil Armstrong will not be able to personally attend, he represents the kind of high-profile scientific figure the festival aims to showcase. The astronomy-focused day also includes roundtable discussions with planetary scientists.
Video via France Télévisions on YouTube
But space is only the beginning. Each day of the festival takes audiences into a different realm: the depths of the Mediterranean on 18 November, where archaeologists are piecing together 3,000 years of submerged history particularly relevant to this coastal city; the natural world on 20 November, exploring everything from mysterious rings around Cap Corse to humanity’s complex relationship with animals; and time travel back to the mists of time on 21 November, with films on Neanderthal predecessors and the stunning Chauvet cave paintings. The event concludes with an awards ceremony recognizing outstanding scientific documentaries. The sessions offer audiences the opportunity to engage directly with the people who dove to those shipwrecks or studied those ancient sites.
Schedule – Festival du Documentaire Scientifique de Nice
Wednesday, 12 November at 3:30 PM – Preview
- Planète Méditerranée (Planet Mediterranean, 2019) – outside of competition
Presented by director Gil Kebaili
Monday, 17 November from 1:30 PM – Astronomy and Universe
- Les conquistadors de l’espace (The Space Conquistadors, 2023)
- Thomas Pesquet : Objectif France (Thomas Pesquet: Target France, 2023)
- Alerte en orbite (Alert in Orbit, 2023)
- Roundtable with Patrick Michel and Serge Tricoire
Video via Le Point Culture on YouTube
Tuesday, 18 November from 1:30 PM – Archaeology and History
- Mission Méditerranée, le musée des abysses (Mediterranean Mission: Museum of the Abyss, 2023)
- Méditerranée, 3000 ans d’Histoire immergée (Mediterranean: 3000 Years of Submerged History, 2025)
- Artemis, le temple perdu (Artemis: The Lost Temple, 2024)
- Roundtable moderated by Denis Biette with Anne Joncheray, Cécile Verdoni and Bertrand Roussel
Wednesday, 19 November, 2:00-4:00 PM – Roundtable
- “How and Why Make a Scientific Documentary?”
Moderated by Bertrand Roussel with Marc Azma, François Demerliac, Anne Joncheray, Jacques Mitsch and Kevin Semp
Thursday, 20 November from 1:30 PM – Nature and Biodiversity
- Cap Corse, le mystère des anneaux (Cap Corse: Mystery of the Rings, 2024)
- Homo animalis, une drôle d’espèce (Homo Animalis: A Strange Species, 2024)
- La défense des animaux (Animal Defense, 2025)
- Roundtable moderated by Olivier Gerriet with Denis Allemand and Jean-Félix Gandioli
Video via Les DOC’S on YouTube
Friday, 21 November from 1:30 PM – Prehistory and Human Origins
- Tautavel, vivre en Europe avant Néandertal (Tautavel: Living in Europe Before Neanderthal, 2024)
- Chauvet, voyage aux origines (Chauvet: Journey to the Origins, 2024)
- Amérique, la nouvelle histoire des premiers hommes (America: The New History of the First Humans)
- Roundtable moderated by Bertrand Roussel with Marc Azma, Emma Baus and Denis Biette
- Awards ceremony at 6:30 PM
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
The 2nd edition of the Festival du Documentaire Scientifique runs from Monday 17th to Friday 21st November at the Maison des Associations Garibaldi in Nice
Admission: Free, subject to available seating
CONTACT DETAILS
Maison des Associations Garibaldi
12 ter Place Garibaldi
06300 Nice
Tel: + 33 (0)4 97 13 41 71
All images courtesy Ville de Nice
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