“PARADiCE – The Procession of Glaciers” documentary screening

A Canal9 | Kanal9 documentary film (2023, 52 min., original version in French, English subtitles).

The screening will take place in SPI’s Reading Room, in the presence of film director Hugo Cousino.

Programme:

17:30 – Welcome
17:45 – Screening
18:45 – Discussion
19:00 – Aperitif

Free admission.

Due to logistical reasons, registration is highly recommended.

Synopsis
In its foothills, the Rhône Valley is home to over 600 glaciers. These living systems, legacy of distant ice ages, have been shaping the Alpine landscape for two million years. They were once forbidden territory and their retreat since has given rise to paradises. Forests, lakes and rivers spring from their movements, which at the same time shape the representations humans have of them, both terrifying and fascinating. Many legends are told about glaciers. The legend of the Gratzug, the ‘procession of the ridges’, a ghostly parade that is supposed to keep the reckless at bay if they dare to pester the glaciers too closely, symbolises this vital relationship with these icy giants, whose fragility we witness today. As we progress, they recede, alarming their neighbours who watch helplessly as this inexorable decline takes place. PARADiCE is the story of a twofold procession of life and death, of humans and glaciers moving towards and away from each other, told by the ice giant that covered most of the Alps at its peak: the Rhône Glacier. Through the memories of guides, the gaze of artists, the eye of scientists, wounds and grief, this dive into the heart of the ice questions the balance between our existence and that of the glaciers.