Every August, Lussas, a small village in the Ardèche region, becomes the hub of documentary cinema. The États généraux du film documentaire (Documentary Film Festival) offers a week of screenings, meetings and debates, without competition, combining perspectives from around the world and conviviality in the heart of the region with a common theme throughout the year.
A unique festival in Ardèche
In the heart of the Ardèche region, the village of Lussas hosts a unique annual event dedicated to documentary film: the États généraux du film documentaire. Created in 1989 by enthusiasts of the genre, this festival has established itself as an important opportunity to discover the diversity and vitality of creative documentary film, far removed from the usual codes of film competition.
What sets the États généraux apart is, first and foremost, its spirit of openness. Here, there are no awards or juries. The screenings are designed to be moments of exchange, where authors, audiences, professionals and curious minds come together over the course of several days. The films are screened in several venues, including private homes and open-air locations, providing numerous opportunities to encounter the works and those who made them. For a week, the festival becomes a veritable laboratory of ideas and forms, where each screening is followed by spontaneous discussions in the village square or under the market hall.
In addition to screenings, there are seminars, round tables, workshops open to all generations, and a rich video library. Particular care is taken to explore rarely discussed topics, give voice to new perspectives, and examine the memory of documentary filmmaking and its global relevance. The local ecosystem – the Maison du doc, Tënk for post-production, young producers, schools and distribution companies – makes Lussas a vibrant hub for documentary creation.
Lussas and Ardèche Images
Indeed, the festival is only the tip of the iceberg of a vast ecosystem run throughout the year by the Ardèche Images collective, a pioneering association in the sector since 1979.
The documentary school: learn, create, share
Beyond the festival, Ardèche Images runs the École documentaire, nationally recognised for its initial and continuing education programmes. Students and trainees are supported by professionals in the sector and benefit from an environment conducive to artistic experimentation. The school offers training in writing, directing and production, as well as workshops on audio documentaries. Masterclasses, professional meetings and writing residencies strengthen the link between training and the professional world.
Every year, the master’s programme, in partnership with the University of Grenoble Alpes, trains directors and producers, whose projects are often supported by institutions such as the CNC1or the SC2AM. Learning is based on practice, exchanges and the sharing of different points of view, often inspired by the Ardèche region.
La Maison du doc: resource centre and living memory
Created in 1994, La Maison du Doc is Ardèche Images’ documentary resource centre. It offers a video library of over 19,000 documentary films, a database of 48,000 works and a library dedicated to cinema. This venue allows professionals, students and amateurs to watch films, conduct thematic research, organise screenings and engage in debate. The Maison du doc plays an essential role in the preservation of and access to French-language European documentary heritage.
Local initiatives: culture and mediation
Local action is part of Ardèche Images’ DNA. Based in Lussas, the association develops film education workshops, the Sentiers du Doc, and, until 2024, the Les Toiles du Doc project, which organised screenings in schools, media libraries, specialised establishments and unusual venues, facilitating encounters between the region’s inhabitants and documentary cinema. Ardèche Images supports cultural dissemination and mediation throughout the Ardèche region and beyond, while also supporting the training of amateur and professional audiences.
A centre of excellence in rural areas
This unique model brings together the various players in the documentary film industry at the Imaginaïre in Lussas: the Tën3k platform, DocM4ondefor training and international co-production, Andana Films5for distribution, and the Film6Doc resource centre. Far from the major urban centres, the Ardèche Images centre of excellence attracts professionals and students, all committed to the development of a vibrant documentary cinema that is open to the world.
2025 edition of the documentary film conference in Lussas
From 17 to 23 August 2025, the 37th edition will bring together more than 130 films from France, Europe and other continents, many of which will be accompanied by their directors.
This year, several seminars explore the themes of emancipation and cooperation in documentary filmmaking. There is a focus on contemporary Algerian documentary cinema, providing an opportunity to hear voices and explore stories that are rarely heard elsewhere.
Tributes to innovative filmmakers – such as Chick Strand and Jean-Pierre Thorn – enrich the programme, as does the carte blanche given to Sac7em,which promotes musical creation in documentaries. The festival does not forget its Ardèche roots, highlighting works shot in the region and amateur creations supported by the local documentary school.
Lussas documentary in practice
Accessibility is a key concern: screening venues are adapted for people with reduced mobility, the festival strives to provide a safe space, raises awareness about discrimination, and offers a programme dedicated to young audiences as well as workshops to discover documentaries in a different way.
On the practical side, ticketing is designed to be flexible, with tailor-made packages and special rates for local residents and those experiencing financial difficulties.
Shuttle buses run between Lussas and Lavilledieu during the festival, accessible from Montélimar station via the X74 regional bus.
Several accommodation providers are also partners of the event, and others are available nearby ↗ or around Aubenas ↗.
True to their spirit for more than three decades, the États généraux continue to embody a place open to all forms and all voices, where the art of documentary filmmaking is combined with sharing, commitment and inventiveness.
For more information, including the programme and all practical details, please visit the dedicated section:
Location of Lussas
Interactive map to locate Lussas in Ardèche:
- Presentation of the municipality of Lussas in Ardèche
- CNC, National Centre for Cinema and the Moving Image ↗
- SCAM, Civil Society of Multimedia Authors ↗
- Tënk, documentary film platform ↗
- Docmonde, the project ↗
- Andana Films, publishing house ↗
- FilmDoc, a research and information platform for documentary films ↗
- SACEM, Society of Authors, Composers and Music Publishers ↗