Yolande Moreau honored at the 44th edition of the Itinérances festival in Alès would have received the Itinérances 2026 Prize on Saturday before the screening of When the Sea Rises. The Belgian artist has had a career as free as it is singular, evoking memories of filming in Gard, theater, Deschiens and author cinema.
“On ne choisit pas ce métier pour faire du pognon, mais tous les endroits où l’on joue, même si la scène est faite de caisses de bières, ne sont jamais minables.”
At the theater ephemere du Cratère in Alès, Yolande Moreau received the Itinérances 2026 Prize on Saturday, March 28. The award was presented to her before the screening of When the Sea Rises. At the beginning of the evening, hosted by Louis Héliot, the Belgian artist shared her cinema with the Alès audience. Theater, clown, Deschiens, cinema, directing, childhood memories, her journey unfolded chronologically, zigzagging between the stage and the people. The festival pays tribute to her this year, as part of its 44th edition held from March 20 to 29.
When the Sea Rises
Before the screening of her film “When the Sea Rises,” the Itinérances Prize was awarded. Established in 2022, the Itinérances Prize distinguishes a cinema personality each year. This time, a unique figure in the French-speaking landscape. Revealed to the general public in the 1990s with Deschiens, Yolande Moreau has built a career outside the beaten paths, a popular comedian, never restricted to one genre, but also a filmmaker. “When the Sea Rises,” co-directed with Gilles Porte, earned her two César awards in 2005, for best actress and best first film. The film is currently being digitized “to avoid being forgotten”.
On stage, sitting in a chair, Yolande Moreau recalled several memories related to Nîmes and Gard. She remembered her first feature film as an actress, “Without Roof or Law” by Agnès Varda, filmed in the region in 1983. From that period, she remembers a shoot in Gard, as well as a decisive encounter. Varda, she said, remains one of the most unconventional personalities she has ever met.
The Arenas Roof Flies Away
Outside the Cratère’s ephemere marquee, the wind blew strongly on the Alès prairie. The actress also mentioned her performances on stage in the city, her plays at the Nîmes theater, and the vivid memory of a disrupted performance by the wind, when “the roof of the Nîmes Arena flew away.” An anecdote that resonated on Saturday night in the agitated air of the Alès Prairie.
Brussels childhood, studies quickly interrupted, motherhood at a young age, odd jobs, then a return to the theater through children’s theater. She recounted her discovery of clowning, her training with Philippe Gaulier, and then the creation of “Dirty Business,” a solo foundational piece. With her face hidden behind a mask, she found freedom of speech. Despite her shyness. This show opened up stages in Belgium, France, and Switzerland before the transition to cinema.
Another decisive step was her encounter with Jérôme Deschamps and Macha Makeïeff. This was followed by Deschiens and François Morel, then television fame.
The Bet
But Yolande Moreau is wary of labels. Some roles, too restrictive, she refuses, like “The Bet.” She prefers to cultivate a blend of burlesque and tragedy. “On ne choisit pas ce métier pour faire du pognon, mais tous les endroits où l’on joue, même si la scène est faite de caisses de bières, ne sont jamais minables,” eyes squinted by the laughter she is known for.
In Alès, Antoine Leclerc, the festival’s general delegate, did not salute a smooth career but a free journey, marked by theater, author cinema, burlesque forms, and staging. The evening continued in the hall with the screening of “When the Sea Rises.” A film derived from her foundational show “Dirty Business,” shot in 16mm, still alive twenty years later, and now being preserved.
