• Director(s):

    GUIDOIN (JEAN-LUC), JOUVIN (Nicolas)

  • Producer(s):

    ARTE FRANCE, LES FILMS EN VRAC, SCREENSHOT PRODUCTION, POLE PRODUCTION ET COMMUNICATION

  • Territories:

    Worldwide.

  • Production year:

    2015

  • Language(s):

    German, French

  • Rights:

    TV, DVD, NON-THEATRICAL, INTERNET, VOD

We’re often tempted to go to the ends of the earth to photograph rare animal species, when some of them are lurking just a stone’s throw away from us. We live in the heart of the Ardèche region and have been observing traces of beavers for years, without ever managing to photograph them. We have decided that this time, we’re going to try to get as close to them as possible. 

With its garrigue and many rivers, the Cèze Valley is the ideal habitat for the beaver. It has shallow waters with a gentle current, banks for their lodges, and excellent, local food sources. We take an inflatable boat along the river Cèze to spot traces of the beavers as well as their lodges. The beaver is a very timid creature.

As regular as clockwork, it prefers to come out as night falls. This leaves barely fifteen minutes to take our photos. Lionel Jacob, a naturalist who is passionate about beavers, gives us some tips and tricks to help us get close to the dams they build. We never thought photographing our own neighbours would prove so difficult!