Film screening and discussion: Of Ashes and Embers, directed by Manon Ott
On 5 December 2025, Villa Arson is organising a screening and discussion of the film De cendres et de braises (Of Ashes and Embers), attended by director Manon Ott.
A poetic and political portrait of a working-class suburb in transition, De Cendres et de Braises invites us to listen to the words of residents of the Mureaux housing estates, near the Renault-Flins factory. Whether gentle, rebellious or sung, at the foot of the tower blocks, at the factory entrance or beside a fire, these words carry us through the night until a new day dawns.
Length : 1 hour 13 minutes
Manon Ott
Filmmaker and researcher Manon Ott lives and works in Paris. Alongside her artistic and research projects, she teaches photography, cinema and social sciences (visual sociology/anthropology) at university.
Authors of several films (Yu, Narmada, De cendres et de braises, etc.) screened in cinemas and at numerous festivals in France and abroad, as well as several books of texts and photographs (De cendres et de braises, Voix et histoires d’une banlieue populaire published by Anamosa (2019); Birmanie, rêves sous surveillance, published by Autrement (2008) and co-written with Grégory Cohen. She is also a member of several film collectives and magazines, including Revue Documentaires.
His films, both political and poetic, explore marginalised and sometimes conflict-ridden territories, meeting those who inhabit them and seeking in cinema a way to give their words and stories a different resonance.
They have been screened at numerous festivals in France and abroad (Entrevues Belfort, Cinéma du réel, Visions du réel, Lussas, Dok Leipzig, Rome Film Festival, IndieLisboa, Sheffield Docfest, Rencontres Paris/Berlin/Madrid, Dmz Docs, Jean Rouch Festival, Les Ecrans Documentaires, Les Escales Documentaires, Traces de Vie, etc.).
His latest film, De cendres et de braises (Ashes and Embers) – winner of the Jury Prize at the Les Ecrans Documentaires festival and the Contemporary Work Award at the Filmer le travail festival – was released in cinemas on 25 September 2019. To coincide with the film’s release, the book De cendres et de braises, Voix et histoires d’une banlieue populaire (Ashes and Embers: Voices and Stories from a Working-Class Suburb) (384 pages) was published by Anamosa. It recounts the encounters and field research carried out over several years in the neighbourhoods of Les Mureaux in preparation for the film. Manon Ott has a dual background in social sciences (Master’s degree in social movement studies at EHESS) and filmmaking (Master’s degree in documentary filmmaking at the University of Evry). Her film and book “De cendres et de braises” are linked to her thesis research, which combines social sciences and cinema, research and creation, entitled “Filmer/Chercher” (Filming/Researching) and defended at the University of Evry Paris Saclay in 2019.
Practical information
Friday, 5 December, starting at 5 p.m.
Free admission
Grand Amphitheatre of Villa Arson
Address: Villa Arson, 20 Av. Stephen Liegeard, 06100 Nice