Author William Faulkner created a fictional but incredibly realistic place in his books, and the creator of this film does the same: He sets out to find the counties, the downtrodden people, and violent places that Faulkner wrote about in the middle of the 20th century. He finds them in small towns, fields, homes, and factories in Mississippi, where Faulkner lived most of his life.

Director Geoffrey Lachassagne – who also shot, edited, and helped compose the soundtrack to the film – created a mesmerizing documentary out of the mosaic of people and places he encountered, a cinematic ode to Faulkner and his world. None of the people featured had ever heard of Faulkner, but for Lachassagne they are the people the Nobel laureate wrote about: Black and white, rough and sometimes racist. Thanks to them and to the film’s spectacular imagery, the director re-created Faulkner’s simultaneously real and imaginary county.

Opening lecture: Sarai Shavit, writer, editor and Faulknerian researcher.