This Friday, June 5, in Étel, the La Rivière cinema and the Thoniers Museum are offering a film exchange around the new film by Alain Pichon, “Colossi of the Seas, a Lorient Epic”. “The Lorient fishing epic is part of the history of Âtel,” begins the director. “It would not have taken place without the help of the Étellois,” adds Firmin Philippe, former fishing boss.
In this film, Alain Pichon begins with the construction of Keroman in 1927 and “the dizzying growth” before an “equally dizzying” decline. “These are the Thirty Glorious Years of fishing, thanks to the engine which allowed better autonomy.”
The testimony of Firmin Philippe
As for the “colossi”, these are the stern fisheries of more than 50 m of industrial fishing, such as those commanded by Firmin Philippe, former fishing boss then captain of the shipping company. The other great witness is Jean-Maurice Besnard, visionary weapons captain.
Director Alain Pichon brought together images from the archives of Lorient and Morbihan, the Museum of Thoniers, the National Audiovisual Institute (INA), the Cinémathèque de Bretagne and private funds (Firmin Philippe and Jean Tonnerre), with unpublished footage showing what it was like in the past. In his film, he also discusses the question of resources.
Practical
“Colossi of the Seas”, at the La Rivière cinema, in Étel, this Friday June 5 at 8:30 p.m. Reservations recommended. Usual prices. Broadcast followed by an exchange with the director Alain Pichon and Firmin Philippe, the voice-over in the film/