In Anères, the aperitif replaces the climb of the steps. From May 20 to 24, the small village in the Pyrenean foothills brings silent cinema to life in front of more than 6,000 spectators, in a unique atmosphere for more than twenty-five years.
Faithful to its spirit, for five days the festival gives images their living accompaniment thanks to the numerous guest musicians, one of the signatures of the event. It continues to surprise with its scale and the quality of a program praised well beyond French borders. At the origin of this atypical adventure, Sylvain Hérault and Jacques Cambra. “At the start, it all started with a joke,” confides Sylvain Hérault. “I launched the idea of a festival as a joke, but from the start I understood that we were not going to stay to ourselves: the public came from everywhere. Today, thousands of spectators join us every year.”
An ambitious program
A success built almost without a communication strategy, driven above all by word of mouth, public loyalty and the uniqueness of the place. “We have one of the most cutting-edge programming among silent film festivals in the world. When I do exchanges in Europe, no one imagines that these films will be screened in a small village in the Hautes-Pyrénées,” he continues.
It is precisely this contrast that gives Anères its identity: an ambitious international program in a rural and friendly setting, far from the large prestigious venues and the usual circuits of major festivals. Here, there is no climbing the steps or social ceremonial: the opening simply takes place around an aperitif in the village square on May 20 at 7 p.m.
This year’s film program once again highlights a vast panorama of world silent cinema from the years 1910-1930. The great figures of burlesque like Douglas Fairbanks, Buster Keaton or Max Linder rub shoulders with darker, expressionist or experimental works from Germany, the United States, the Soviet Union, Hungary or Georgia. Between physical comedy, psychological drama, social satire and visual experimentation, the festival offers a journey through the great founding currents of cinema.
In Anères, a silent film projected in a 450-seat room can attract more musicians than some music festivals themselves.
The sessions are held mainly in the village hall, but also under a marquee for concerts, in the church or in the “Youth” room, entirely managed by a new generation of volunteers. Super 8 workshops, daily songs before the sessions and other events punctuate the life of the festival. Here, artists, volunteers and spectators meet around the Café du Village.
Each screening is accompanied live, while the evenings under the marquee combine French song, committed rock, baroque recital or Latin-Berber fusion. On Sunday evening, the closing ball continues this popular and friendly atmosphere for which the place is renowned.
The Anères Festival finally defends a rare model: free access to screenings and concerts. Spectators are invited to freely participate in financing the event via the festival’s famous “pig”, symbol of an accessible but collectively supported culture.
Between cinematic heritage, live music and village spirit, Anères confirms its uniqueness year after year: a festival on a human scale, demanding but deeply anchored in sharing.
Silent cinema has never been so alive.
