In Auvergne, young people learn about cinema with the shooting of an international film in eight episodes

“Billom is a very beautiful and also a bit romantic city”. With her beautiful accent, this is how Linda Verwyen talks about the medieval city of Puy-de-Dôme. The medieval alleys seduced the young German director who is filming the new episode of Lingua Amorisa feature film with a particular form and execution.

Lingua Amoris is a series of audiovisual and educational film projects that talk about love. The idea is to explore the different forms of romantic love outside the social norm through eight couple stories. The goal is also to provide visibility and representation for excluded or under-represented groups.

Produced by Patrick Merz and Henning Wötzel-Herber, this film is made by an intercultural team from different countries around the world: Germany, France, Netherlands, Rwanda, Spain, Turkey and Ukraine. Each of these countries will host the filming of an episode – eight in total, from twelve to fifteen minutes each.

Each episode of Lingua Amoris is written and produced by an educational and cinematographic team specific to each country. Teams made up of young adults between the ages of 18 and 30, in front of and behind the camera. The goal is to introduce them to audiovisual creation. Some already have technical knowledge but to participate in the project, no prerequisites are mandatory.

In France, the Control Z Aquitaine association spearheaded the project. Based in Bordeaux, she works on setting up multimedia projects promoting European mobility, with young people with fewer opportunities like Mahdi, a 19-year-old Afghan who lives in a professional reintegration center in Bordeaux. With Lingua Amoris, he discovers the profession of actor and wants to continue on this momentum. For its part, the interactive theater company Arts Qi Med comes to help young people find their bearings in terms of play and creation.

At the end of this unique project, the different episodes will compose a 90-minute film which will be the culmination of eight love stories. The feature film should be released in 2024 at international festivals.