THE EARTH IS ALL THAT LASTS
(SEULE LA TERRE EST ETERNELLE)

Thursday, October 13 – Truffaut Theater – 7:50 pm
(Screening ends at 9:50 pm)
Followed by a conversation with writer/director/journalist Francois Busnel

DOCUMENTARY

Presented in Association with:
Rosebud Productions
France Télévisions

North American Premiere | France | 2022 | Documentary | 112 min | In English

Directed by: François Busnel, Adrien Soland
Written by: François Busnel
Produced by: François Busnel, Emmanuel Perreau (Rosebud Productions)
Cinematography: Yann Staderoli
Film Editing: Camille Dalbera
Original Score: Mathias Malzieu, Olivier Daviaud
Cast: Jim Harrison, Louise Erdrich, Jim Fergus
International Sales: Rosebud Productions  

The meandering, soulful documentary feature, The Earth Is All That Lasts, takes us on a lyrical road trip through the American northwest with the late great Jim Harrison.  At one point, the prolific writer of poetry, novels, screenplays and nonfiction — a man considered this country’s foremost master of the novella — climbs into his SUV and leads us on a spiritual journey that crosses Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah and Arizona…  Cigarette often between his lips, in a breathless, raspy voice, he recounts his life, his craft and many a homespun, yet highly perceptive, philosophy with an intimacy and surprising immediacy for a man who passed on six years ago.  Most of all, Harrison shares his boundless love of nature, the great wilderness and the American landscape that figured so prominently in his writings. Gazing out at the vast Montana landscape, he ponders, “How can you be unhappy when you see this?”  It’s no wonder his Ojibwe neighbors gave him an indigenous name that means, “One who goes far into the dark and we hope he can find his way back.”

François Busnel is a French journalist, literary critic, radio personality and, most notably, the creator and host of the highly regarded weekly literary program, La Grande librairie, on France 5 TV (2008-2022). In 2011/12, he wrote and produced a series of seven documentary films, Les Carnets de route de François Busnel, for France 5.  For that series, he traveled across the United States, interviewing 44 great American novelists, including Toni Morrison, Paul Auster, Joyce Carol Oates, Philip Roth, Russell Banks, Elmore Leonard, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and, of course, Jim Harrison. The success of that project led to a second series of six documentaries on British writers (2013-2014). Cinematographer-turned-director, Adrian Soland directed various episodes of several French series, before joining Busnel as director on both his La Grande librairie and Les Carnets de route de François Busnel series. Many years later, after the death of Jim Harrison, the twosome decided to expand their rich 2012 television interview with him into The Earth Is All That Lasts, their first feature film.