Bigger Than Us (film)

Bigger Than Us
Theatrical release poster
Directed byFlore Vasseur
Written by
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography
  • Christophe Offenstein
  • Tess Barthes
Edited byAurélie Jourdan
Music byRémi Boubal
Production
companies
  • Elzévir Films[2]
  • Big Mother Productions[2]
  • All You Need Is Prod[2]
  • France 2 Cinéma[2]
Distributed byjour2fête[3]
Release dates
Running time
96 minutes[2]
CountryFrance
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1 million[5]

Bigger Than Us is a 2021 French documentary film produced and directed by Flore Vasseur, co-produced by Marion Cotillard,[4][1] and written by Vasseur and Melati Wijsen.[1][6] The film made its world premiere at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival in the special section Cinema for the Climate on 10 July 2021.[4][7] It was released theatrically in France by Jour2fête on 22 September 2021.[3] It was nominated for the César Award for Best Documentary Film in 2022.[8]

Plot

The documentary follows Melati Wijsen, an 18-year-old Indonesian girl and well-established activist against plastic pollution in her country. She wants to understand how to hold on and continue her action, so she goes on to meet six other young activists across the globe.

Cast

Release

The film made its world premiere at the 74th Cannes Film Festival in the special section Cinema for the Climate on 10 July 2021.[9][4] It was released theatrically in France by Jour2fête on 22 September 2021.[3]

Reception

Critical response

AlloCiné, a French cinema website, gave the film an average rating of 3.3/5, based on a survey of 12 French reviews.[10]

Home media

The film was released on DVD in France on 1 February 2022.[11] The extras include an interview with director Flore Vasseur, a debate with Mary Finn and Mohamad Al Jounde, a podcast and the webseries "It starts with you".[11]

Awards and nominations

Award Year Category Recipient(s) Result
Dei Popoli Festival 2021 Young Jury Award Bigger Than Us Won[12][13]
Medal of the National Assembly N/A Won[12]
César Awards 2022 Best Documentary Film Flore Vasseur and Denis Carot Nominated[8]
Better World Fund Best Commitment Flore Vasseur Won[14]
Best Achievement Marion Cotillard Won[14][15]
Cinema For Change Honorary Award Flore Vasseur Won[12]
Festival À Travers Champs Commitment Award Bigger Than Us Won[12]
Reel 2 Real Youth Festival Edith Lando Peace Prize Bigger Than Us Won[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Bigger Than Us - French press kit" (PDF). Unifrance (in French). Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Bigger Than Us de Flore Vasseur (2021)". Unifrance. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "Bigger Than Us". jour2fete.com. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d Utichi, Joe (11 July 2021). "Marion Cotillard On Youth Activism Doc 'Bigger Than Us': "This Desire For Change Is A Fuel To Action" – Cannes Studio". Deadline. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Bigger Than Us (2021)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  6. ^ "Bigger Than Us, le documentaire qui met en avant les jeunes activistes". Radio Télévision Suisse (in French). 22 September 2021. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  7. ^ "Bigger Than Us". Festival de Cannes. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Bigger Than Us". Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma (in French). Archived from the original on 29 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  9. ^ "Cinema for the climate". Festival de Cannes. 18 June 2021. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  10. ^ "Critiques presse pour le film Bigger Than Us". AlloCiné (in French). Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  11. ^ a b "Bigger Than Us (2021) - DVD". dvdfr.com (in French). Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  12. ^ a b c d e "Festivals and awards". biggerthanus.film. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  13. ^ "R2R Festival wraps up the 24th hybrid edition!". Reel 2 Real Youth Festival. 6 May 2022. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  14. ^ a b "Better World Fund hosts series of powerful sustainability focused events in Dubai". Zawya. 5 April 2022. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  15. ^ "Marion Cotillard Best Achievement Award for the Film "Bigger than us" - Dubai Expo 2020". YouTube. 14 July 2022. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.