Traces de Vies - Documentary Film Festival

Traces de Vies: Creative Documentary at the Heart of Auvergne

Since 1991, the Traces de Vies festival has established itself as one of the major documentary film events in France. Born from the passion of a group of trainers from the Social Work Training Unit (UFTS) in Vic-le-Comte, in Auvergne, this festival was built thanks to this training structure and with the decisive support of a core of passionate documentary volunteers from the fields of image, culture, and education.

A Festival Committed to Author Documentary

Traces de Vies champions creative documentary filmmaking that carries aesthetic ambitions, strong and sensitive narratives, and unconventional reflection. The festival strives to showcase works that question reality with rigor and freedom, far from conventional television formats. Each edition offers a rigorous selection of films from around the world, providing audiences with a week of discovery and cinematic pleasure.

Several Competitive Sections

The festival is organized around four main competitive sections:

• Documentary Gaze Beyond Borders: Films that explore the world beyond geographical and cultural borders
• A Sensitive World: Works that offer an intimate and poetic look at our world
• First Documentary Gesture: A section dedicated to first films, revealing new talents
• A Fair Social Gaze: Engaged documentaries that question contemporary social realities

A Rich Educational and Cultural Program

Beyond screenings, Traces de Vies offers an ambitious cultural and educational program. Cinema Masterclasses invite renowned filmmakers to share their experience and vision of documentary. Educational workshops are offered to schoolchildren and trainees, while meetings with directors allow the public to interact directly with the creators of the presented films.

Strong Territorial Roots

The festival unfolds between Clermont-Ferrand and Vic-le-Comte, thus embedding documentary cinema in the Auvergne cultural landscape. This dual location reflects the founders' desire to democratize access to author cinema outside major urban centers, while also valuing the region's cultural heritage.

Since 2010, the association Les Amis de Traces de Vies (ATDV) has been organizing the festival with the support of numerous volunteers and institutional partners. The event benefits from the support of the Centre National du Cinéma (CNC), the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, the Puy-de-Dôme Department, and the City of Clermont-Ferrand.