Based on a novel by Didier Eribon, the film tells the story of the French working class from the 1950s to today, while providing an intimate look at the political sphere. The era is brought to life on screen through an impressive mix of archival footage drawn from news reports as well as fiction and documentary films. Gifted Adèle Haenel leads us through this stirring history of political struggle.

“A fascinating oeuvre of memorial reflection and a virtuoso film in its assembling of very diverse illustrating archives (news, documentaries, fiction) that are always relevant, RETURNING TO REIMS (FRAGMENTS) is particularly effective in its more intimate first movement.” (www.cineuropa.org)

Jean-Gabriel Périot, born in France in 1974, has made several short films on the frontier of documentary, experimental, and fiction. He developed his own style of film editing that explores violence and history using film and photography archives. His films have received awards from several festivals around the world. His first feature length film, A GERMAN YOUTH, opened the Panorama section of the 2015 Berlinale before receiving multiple awards. RETURNING TO REIMS was selected for the program of the Director’s Fortnight at 2021 Cannes International Film Festival.

Filmography (selection): 2005 IES IRAE, 2006 EVEN IF SHE HAD BEEN A CRIMINA, 2012 THE DEVIL (all short films), 2015 GERMAN YOUTH, 2016 SUMMER LIGHTS, 2019 OUR DEFEAT, 2021 RETURNING TO REIMS