NOTRE-DAME ON FIRE - Q&A - 28 MARCH
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From Academy Award ® winning director Jean-Jacques Annaud comes Notre-Dame on Fire, a documentary-style film retelling of the tragic blaze which destroyed much of the Notre-Dame cathedral in 2019. In this action-packed recount, Annaud masterfully retraces the steps of emergency rescue services in their courageous rush to save this globally- cherished monument.
We open on a typical day at Notre-Dame as crowds gather at the church, settling in for mass under the glow of candlelight. It is an afternoon in Paris like any other, children play and tourists roam the halls of the cathedral, completely unaware of the fire that is quietly transforming into a ferocious blaze above them...
Highly intense and actioned-packed, the film follows the rescue team who must work against the clock, risking their lives to safeguard Notre-Dame and its religious treasures. The rescue team features a number of standout performances from the likes of Samuel Labarthe (The Conquest, AF FFF12) and Jérémie Laheurte, who work dynamically as both part of the cast and part of the firefighting unit sent in to safeguard the cathedral. In their fight against the rising flames, the group will be put to the test - how much of the monument will they be able to save?
Tuesday 28 March
3:20pm - Q&A session with Susan Broomhall
Professor Susan Broomhall leads the Gender and Women's History Research Centre at the Australian Catholic University. She is a historian and author of numerous books about medieval and early modern France. This discussion will explore the tumultuous history of Notre-Dame de Paris as the dominant spiritual site of the city since the twelfth century and its changing meanings for Parisians ever since.
