It makes you wonder why one didn't exist yet. Sports documentaries are one of the most popular areas on platforms and channels. You don't need to have been a driver to appreciate
Formula One
, a surfer to thrill with
Make or Break
, perhaps you don't even need to be a sports fan... The genre appeals.
To discover
TV tonight: our selection of the day
He now has the right to a dedicated festival: the Sport Doc Festival in Deauville. First edition from April 3 to 5. The jury, chaired by Stéphane Meunier, the director of
Yeux dans les Bleus
, will notably include Grégoire Margotton, the voice of football on TF1. A fan of documentaries - he watches a lot of them and has filmed them - Bixente Lizarazu's sidekick confides his pleasure in being part of this adventure.
Read alsoIn Deauville, a new festival to take “another look” at sport
LE FIGARO TV MAGAZINE. - Was a festival entirely dedicated to the genre missing?
Grégoire MARGOTTON. - Absolutely, there was a place to be taken. An event like this was missing, I expect a hit. Also because he settled in the town of Deauville, which has multiple attractions. I am very happy to have been chosen to join the jury.
During this first edition, we will not see American productions (the organizers mention “a question of timing”). Does the festival also want to defend French-style documentaries?
In a way, especially in view of the Olympic Games which will be held here, it is logical that France will be very present in the selection. But I am sure that this festival will become more international in the years to come, for example with important previews. The Sport Doc Festival must take its place. It's only a beginning. And it will last a very long time!
“Behind the sporting hero, there is always a story that touches us, which becomes the vector of our pleasures, our desires, our ambitions”
Grégoire Margotton
As a juror, what will you be sensitive to while watching the films? What will lead your gaze?
We are already fortunate to have a great diversity of prizes (twelve in total, Editor's note), which will reward as many talents as possible. As for my role as a juror, I do not have a single reading grid. The emotion in front of a story, the basic emotion of a twelve-year-old child, counts as much as the interest of the professional in me in front of a beautiful montage or a well-conducted narration. There should also be interesting discussions in the jury, which is made up of athletes and film-making professionals.
Read alsoThe notebook of sports series-docs: F1 at the top, irregular football, MotoGP without interest
With your thirty years of experience in the field, what view do you have on the “sports hero”, often at the heart of documentaries?
Behind the sporting hero, there is always a story that touches us, which becomes the vector of our pleasures, our desires, our ambitions. Not necessarily a story of victory, moreover, but a journey. Live broadcasts, of course, don't often have the opportunity to tell this kind of thing. The rare times it happens, it's the strongest. But it's every ten years. Fortunately, there are sports documentaries, which retrace exceptional trajectories and take us through all the emotions. This is what we will see in Deauville!