Lumexplore — Festival of Scientific and Environmental Exploration Film

Scientific exploration on the big screen

Lumexplore is a unique festival dedicated entirely to scientific and environmental exploration film. Every year in September, for five days, the Eden-Théâtre in La Ciotat — the world's oldest cinema still in operation — transforms into a hub for discovery and adventure. The festival showcases documentary films focused on recent scientific expeditions and research, covering fields as diverse as oceanography, geography, the environment, archaeology, speleology, space exploration, and the history of our planet.

The Société des Explorateurs Français behind the festival

Lumexplore was created in 2016 by the association Les Lumières de l'Exploration, in partnership with the Société des Explorateurs Français. The festival was born from a desire to introduce the general public to the scientific and technological innovations driven by contemporary expeditions, fostering knowledge sharing and raising awareness of environmental issues. The IRIS Foundation and the City of La Ciotat are among the festival's main partners.

Screenings, conferences, and meetings

Each edition's program includes film screenings in competition and out of competition, conferences led by scientists and explorers, exhibitions, and free workshops. Festival-goers can also visit exploration vessels (by reservation) and meet the crews. The films awarded at the festival are subsequently presented in prestigious venues in Paris, extending the event's reach.

Lumexplore Junior: the explorers of tomorrow

The festival places a special emphasis on youth with the Lumexplore Junior program, a documentary film competition for middle and high school students (grades 6 to 12). Supported by IFREMER, this program encourages young people to engage with science, exploration, and filmmaking, nurturing the explorers and storytellers of the future.

The Eden-Théâtre, a place of memory and discovery

The choice of the Eden-Théâtre as the festival venue is significant. This historic cinema, where the Lumière brothers held their first screenings in 1895, embodies the link between world exploration and image capture. Lumexplore continues this tradition by projecting images of contemporary expeditions on the same screen, creating a bridge between cinema pioneers and today's explorers.