On May 30 through June 2, Cité de Carcassonne hosted Le 20e Festival Œnovidéo, véritable moment de rencontre internationale entre le monde du cinéma et du vin, vient de se clôturer (the 20th Annual Oenovideo International Grape and Wine Film Festival) and le 8e Torroirs d’Images Exposition Internationale de Photographies sur la Vigne et le Vin (the 8th Annual Terroirs d’Images Exhibition of Vine and Wine Photography.)
The Oenovidéo International Grape and Wine Film Festival featured 26 films from 14 countries competing for the title of best film on the vine and wine in 2013. The Terroirs d’Images Photo Exhibition hosted 105 photos from photographers from 14 countries on the theme “Enjoy and celebrate wines on five continents.
After going to the website I was able to request tickets to the film showings and to attend the photography exhibition. The event’s headquarter was at Hôtel de la Cité Carcassonne, a four star hotel located inside the medieval city and next to Basilique Saint-Nazaire-et-Saint-Celse de Carcassonne (the Basilica of St. Nazaire and St. Celse). The hotel has stunning private gardens where several events were held.
The films screened at the festival included several English language films including my favorite selection, “No Wine Left Behind,” a “kickstarter-funded” independent film which is described as, “When US Marine Sergeant Josh Laine returned from intense fighting in Iraq to his native Livermore, CA, he couldn’t find a job anywhere. When a girlfriend got him into wine, he decided to take a crack at winemaking and with the help of the other Marines that he served with, Lavish Laines Winery was born. The winery has since become a place where returning veterans can find a job, camaraderie, and a sense of purpose. The film follows Josh and his fellow vets as they try to take the winery from a garage start-up to a fully-fledged operation and in the process explores the challenges vets face in transitioning back to civilian life.”
Tracy and I really enjoyed the Terroirs d’Images Photo Exhibition. The gallery was set up inside le Cité de Carcassonne’s Trésau Tower and the venue gave the photos a powerful setting. The images were suspended on thin wires to emphasize the photographer’s work. There was a “No Photos” inside the gallery rule, but I took one overall shot to give you an impression of the exhibition and the presentation of the art.
Some of the photos were “blown-up” and displayed outside the gallery so I can share some of those below.
An Italian Point Of View 