Florent Ruch

FILMS

My work is primarily documentary, focusing on themes such as the irrational, the invisible, and our connection to nature.

My personal films are shot exclusively on analog film stock, as both an aesthetic choice and a deliberate artistic stance. I use digital tools at various stages of post-production. This is not merely a technical decision—it implies a specific artistic gesture: one films without immediately seeing the result; the images pass through the darkroom and are revealed. This process profoundly influences the final outcome.

Some of my recent films are self-initiated, while others are commissions or residencies. Most of them travel internationally through film festivals.

My current work is focused on writing feature-length films for cinema, rooted in the irrational.

EDITING

I also work as a film editor, either on commission or when a subject deeply interests me. I recently collaborated with Bernard Sobel on his latest production, Les Bacchantes, at the Cartoucherie in Vincennes. I also carry out numerous edits and graphic finishing for commissioned films.

SOUND DESIGN, MUSIC & MIXING

I compose all the music and create the sound design for my own films, as well as for other directors. I record various instruments (guitar, voice, synthesizer, percussion, etc.), shaping and transforming the material. A recurring axis of my work is the subtle interaction between my music and the sounds of nature.

PHOTOGRAPHY & ANALOG PRINTING

I consider myself a photographer—not a visual artist using photography. My research follows in the footsteps of 20th-century humanist photographers: to touch people’s hearts without manipulating them. I deeply believe in the power and materiality of the image, and I feel the responsibility of the one standing behind the viewfinder.

Even if I photograph fleeting moments, my work is not about the “decisive moment” nor about denunciation. My subjects include traces, the irruption of the irrational into reality, and writings found in public space.

As with my filmmaking, my photographic practice is rooted in the analog gesture.

Career

Born in 1973, filmmaker and photographer since 2001.

1994–2001: Active member of the collective Les Nouveaux Troubadours (Aveyron), organizing cultural events in rural areas; co-founder of the Musée des Arts Buissonniers in Saint-Sever (Aveyron).

2001–2006: Multimedia and cinema development officer for the association INNO in Saint-Sever (12). Film production support and directing.

2008–2013: Founded and operated the analog film laboratory BIOSKOP (Saint-Sever). Led year-long analog film projects in schools.

2013–2014: Co-founded, with Alexandra Gerber, the Art Affectif gallery in Strasbourg.

2015–2018: Director, editor, and colorist.

2018–2019: Consultant for various film laboratories in the Paris region (Cosmo Digital, Lita Films, Color City, etc.), specializing in the transition from analog to digital imaging. Arrival at MOTOCO.

2020–2021: New film Out of My Body, made at MOTOCO. Writing feature-length films for cinema.

Selected Works

FILMS

« OUT OF MY BODY» – Documentary – 35mm – 25 min – 2020

« LE PETIT PEUPLE» – Documentary – 16mm – 35 min – 2017

« UCHRONIE» – Documentary – HD – 20 min – 2016

« AU BORD DU CHEMIN» – Documentary – 16mm – 38 min – 2014/2015

« LIEUX EN VIE » (co-directed with Pol LEMETAIS) – Documentary – HD – 24 min – 2010

« JUREK » (co-directed with Pol LEMETAIS) – Documentary – DV CAM – 20 min – 2008

« JACQUES LUCAS » (co-directed with Pol LEMETAIS) – Documentary –16mm – 20 min – 2006

« UMBRA » (co-directed with Pol LEMETAIS) – Fiction – 35mm n & b – 34 min – 2003

« PREMIERE DECADE » – Documentary – Beta SP – 52 min – 1997

« L’INTRUSE » – Fiction – 16mm b and w – 22 min – 1992

As well as commissioned films.

PHOTOGRAPHY