Drawing from a selection of archival materials—from the CNRS Images collection, the archives of the University Sorbonne Nouvelle, laboratory images from the Complex Systems network, the archives of the University of Montreal, the Archivio Audiovisivo de Movimento Operaio e Democratico ( Audiovisual Archive of the Workers’ and Democratic Movement ) in Italy and the British Film Institut National Archive (UK)—the public is invited to participate in a creative editing marathon.
Participants will create short audiovisual works that bring science, storytelling, and imagination into dialogue. By working with research images, observations of living organisms, and representations of complex systems, everyone will be able to explore different ways of narrating the interdependent connections that structure ecosystems, human societies and the web of life.
Designed as a friendly competition, this marathon invites participants to offer their own interpretation of the theme “complex systems” through free-form, poetic, documentary, experimental, or offbeat films.
All forms of expression are welcome!
Practical details:
- The marathon will be entirely online to allow participants from around the world to join.
- The selected archival materials will be made available online to participants at the start of the marathon (September 21 – October 4th, 2026)
- Participants will have two weeks to create a short film of no more than 5 minutes.
- Participants may use the original sound from the archives or mix it with royalty-free audio material.
To familiarize participants with the concept of complex systems, the marathon will kick off with a lecture led by David Chavalarias, director of ISC-PIF, on September 21, 3:30 pm (Paris Time).
The conference will be held online and will be followed by an introduction session led by the organizers.
Screening and Awards:
The completed short films will be screened on the closing day, and three prizes will be awarded:
✧ Imaginary Ecosystems Award: for the most poetic short film
✧ Mad Bumblebee Award: for the most offbeat short film
✧ Embodied Complexity Award: for the best outreach short film
The Jury
Espen Bale joined the BFI National Archive in 2013. In his current role as Cultural Sales Manager, he licenses moving images to galleries, museums, low-budget filmmakers, and students for a wide range of projects. He also manages the licensing and supply of still images from the BFI database (which includes digitized material from the “Screencraft” collection) and handles loan requests from FIAF-member archives worldwide.
Francesca Barbieri is in charge of scientific mediation at the Institute of Complex Systems in Paris Île-de-France, a filmmaker, and the project leader of Unarchive Complexity.
Sandra Chartraire, an actress specialized in voice work, is a producer at Les Chats Perchés Productions.
David Chavalarias is a Research Director at CNRS and heads the Institute of Complex Systems in Paris Île-de-France. Former Vice-President of the Complex Systems Society, he holds a degree in mathematics and computer science from ENS Cachan and a PhD in cognitive science from École Polytechnique. His research focuses on social and cognitive dynamics, with an emphasis on large-scale web data analysis.
Céline Ferlita is a filmmaker at the ARDIS unit of the CNRS. Since 2012, she has created various audiovisual formats for the laboratories , ranging from researcher portraits to documentaries and popular science videos. Meeting researchers and sharing their work with a wide audience are her main sources of motivation.
André Habib is a professor in the Department of Art History and Film Studies at the Université de Montréal. He is also a co-editor of the online journal Hors champ. His recent research focuses on the aesthetics of ruins, archives, experimental cinema, and cinephilia.
Frédéric Rolland is the head of the Central Film Library of Public Education and the video acquisitions manager at the University Libraries Directorate of Sorbonne Nouvelle University. He also teaches courses on film history and media sociology at Gustave Eiffel University.
Catherine Ventenat is a documentation specialist and the head of audiovisual archives at CNRS Images.
Marathon dates: September 21 – October 4th, 2026
Marathon Opening Conference : September 21, 2026, 3.30pm (Paris Time)
