The Rhône
The Rhône – one of the longest and most significant rivers in Europe. Originating in the Swiss Alps and winding its way through Switzerland and France, its waters flow past historic landmarks, high-tech industrial areas and an extraordinary variety of landscapes. When it finally runs into the Mediterranean Sea, it has become witness to the multi-faceted fates of all kinds of people living along and with the river: fishermen, biologists, farmers, historians, engineers, bargemen… This intriguing documentary tells their stories, framed by breathtaking images of this sometimes placid, sometimes surprisingly wild stream and its surrounding landscape. Aerial shots depict the Rhône’s natural beauty as well as human attempts to tame and exploit it, thereby raising the question of how to overcome the contradiction between constant progress and renaturation.