1929. Director: Jean Epstein. Runtime: 90min.

A Cinetopia and HippFest collaboration! Finis Terrae + live performance of a newly composed original score by multi-instrumentalist Daniel Abrahams and drummer Philippe Boudot.

On the treeless, windswept islet of Bannec off the Breton coast, four seaweed harvesters set up camp for the season, smoke billowing from their pyres of burning algae. Tensions arise when the two younger men, Ambroise and Jean-Marie, fight over a broken wine bottle. Ambroise cuts his thumb on the glass and Jean-Marie accuses him of stealing his knife. Tensions and distrust grow, as Ambroise’s cut becomes infected - unbeknownst to the other men - causing his work to become slow. When his condition worsens, Jean-Marie discovers him, delirious and feverish, and decides to take him to nearby Ouessant island, across the fog-laden sea, to reach a doctor. 

Shot in a documentary-style, using local non-actors, Jean Epstein’s camera reveals an unforgiving, isolated environment where men live a hard, rudimentary existence of toil against the sea and the elements. Through experimental techniques, Epstein frames the landscape, the sky, and the waters in a highly poetic visual style, rich in atmosphere, and a dual sense of menace and beauty. 
 
Dir. Jean Epstein | France | 1929 | U | 1h 20m 

With: Ambroise Rouzic, Jean-Marie Laot, Gibois, Malgorn, François Morin, Pierre

Performing live: Composer / guitarist Dan Abrahams and French drummer Philippe Boudot

:::

Cinetopia is a film events and exhibition company based in Edinburgh with a mission to connect the film industry, foster conversations, and produce engaging opportunities for audiences to experience cinema through various offerings such as film screenings, pop-up cinema, workshops, masterclasses, and networking events. 

The Edinburgh Film Guild is the world’s oldest continuously running film society, setting the scene for the film’s enduring legacy.

Thanks to the support of Hope Scott Trust and Help Musicians.