#Residency #Research #Creation
Cinema and the culinary arts
This Call for Applications is part of Event 25 – Living trails, led by M28 – Terres de culture.
Preamble
In continuation of their shared commitment to cooperation and openness, and as part of the Event 25 – Living trails, the Lucusta collective and the Montpellier 2028 – Terres de culture association are launching the Le Banquet des imaginaires residency program, aimed at welcoming a filmmaker and a chef to the Villa Salis in Sète.
This creation residency is aimed at filmmakers and chefs wishing to develop an original research and creative project in situ.
The Lucusta collective organizes European residencies for research and support in the writing and development of film scripts, in Sète, at the Villa Salis. A veritable cinema factory dedicated to the emergence and discovery of European talent, the residencies at Villa Salis play an important role in promoting our region as a place for the development of cinema and the discovery of filmmakers. For the 2025 season, the collective has launched three calls for European projects, supported by various partners in France, Italy, Germany and Spain.
The Montpellier 2028 Association was created by Montpellier, Sète and a number of other local authorities to work together on a candidacy to become the European Capital of Culture, using culture as a lever for an ambitious policy to transform the region. Continuing the dynamic initiated by the candidacy, and in view of the challenges ahead, Montpellier 2028 now aims to capitalize on the dynamic set in place by the candidacy to pursue joint initiatives in the region.
Dans ce cadre, un grand événement culturel, Living trails, aura lieu du 26 septembre au 5 octobre 2025, après une année de résidences et d’expérimentations.
To mark the occasion, the Lucusta collective and the Montpellier 2028 Association are launching a residency at the crossroads of film creation and the culinary arts. At the end of the residency at Villa Salis, the work will be presented on Saturday October 4 as part of the In the Food for Love Festival, in partnership with the Unanime collective in Sète.
Principles of residency
The program is divided into two distinct and complementary phases:
- A cross-residency at Villa Salis open to a filmmaker and a chef
- Restitution in the form of an ephemeral creation combining cuisine and cinema (banquet)
About the residency
The residency is conceived as an invitation to dialogue between cinematographic and culinary creation. The principle of this cross-residency is to explore different narratives and nurture new imaginaries told through the culinary gesture and the cinematic gaze.
- Procedure
During the residency, the selected filmmaker-cook pair will work together to conceive and design an artistic and culinary proposal that will be presented to the public during the In the Food for Love Festival. The experimental dimension will be strongly emphasized during this residency, and will be freely worked on by the two residents. By way of experimentation, the selected duo will be able to work on their joint project in a space equipped with a professional kitchen. They will also have access to an exhibition space and large workspaces at Villa Salis.
About the restitution (the banquet)
Le Banquet des imaginaires is freely inspired by the idea of how the dining table becomes a space of possibilities. A place where the world converges around its guests, taking a sensitive look at its environment and its aesthetic, political and ecological complexities. A privileged space for proximity, exchange and human relations, Le Banquet des imaginaires helps build community and define living together and sharing.
- Procedure
The Banquet des imaginaires will take the form of an ephemeral creation combining cuisine and cinema, with a large shared meal and screenings open to the public.
The format of the Banquet des imaginaires remains free, and its conception will be developed by the filmmaker-cook pairing during the residency. The creation of Le Banquet des imaginaires can then invoke both cinema and cuisine, with no constraints on form and/or content.
The cook will be responsible for preparing and setting up the banquet (meal) during the event. The filmmaker will accompany the creation of the banquet with a cinematographic proposal in situ, which could take the form of a program, a montage of sequences or a documentary….
Le Banquet des imaginaires is an event open to the public and will take place during the In the Food for Love festival (October 3 to 5) in dedicated spaces housed in former wine cellars in Sète (see practical information).
Support
The Lucusta collective and its partners will provide the necessary human, technical and production resources to set up Le Banquet des imaginaires, both before and during the event.
Selection criteria
This Call for Applications supports the importance of diversity in artistic creation, through an intra-disciplinary method and a method sensitive to the creative synergy of multiple views.
The residency is aimed primarily at refugees. It remains open to anyone proposing an original creative project, linking culinary creation and cinema, integrating the question of access to rights and creation as a vector for social links and intercultural dialogue.
The residency is open to filmmakers and chefs with professional experience in their field. The jury examining the applications will select the two residents (filmmaker and cook) by assessing their artistic qualities, professional skills and the relevance of their application to the specific context of this residency.
The Call for Applications is open to two candidates, who may apply individually or as a pair (filmmaker-cook). A grant will be awarded to each candidate.
Requirements
Make yourself completely available during the three-week residency at Villa Salis.
Remuneration and conditions of employment
- Grant: each resident receives a residency grant of €1,500, covering the entire period. A flat-rate allowance of 200€ is added to the residency grant.
- Accommodation: residents stay at the Villa Salis (single room), with individual workspace, access to a fully-equipped kitchen and shared workspaces within the Villa Salis.
Agreement / Specifications
An agreement specifying the dates, technical and financial terms of the residency will be signed between the Lucusta Association, the partners and the selected resident.
A set of specifications defining the resources and spaces to be made available, and the terms and conditions for staging Le Banquet des imaginaires, will be submitted to the two residents when the agreement is signed.
Selection process and application form
– CV
– Note of intent / letter of motivation (5 pages maximum) specifying how you intend to appropriate the artistic proposal for Le Banquet des imaginaires
– Any document that might help us to appreciate the work and approach proposed (photos, videos, internet links, etc.)
– Photocopy of passport or identity card
We will acknowledge receipt of your application.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any difficulty in providing any of the above-mentioned documents.
Candidates will be selected by a jury made up of all project partners.
Please note that in the case of your participation in the residency, the material and visuals provided in the application file may be used by the association and/or its partners for communication purposes.
Application procedure and deadline
Please send your application to both of the following addresses:
collectif.lucusta@gmail.com AND contact@montpellier2028.eu
Please send the dossier as an e-mail attachment, and do not use a download link. The project (note of intent + cover letter) should not exceed 5 pages.
Application deadline: July 13, 2025 inclusive
Interviews with the jury: July 16-18, 2025 (by video)
Jury decision: July 22, 2025
Download the Call for applications
Practical information
Provisional timetable
September 12 to October 5, 2025: Residency at the Villa Salis in Sète
October 4, 2025: Restitution of the residency (Banquet des imaginaires) during the Festival In The Food for love
October 3 to 5, 2025: Festival In the food for love – Le Chai des Moulins in Sète
Venues and conditions
Villa Salis in Sète – accommodation and artistic residence
Le Dancing – Le Chai des Moulins, Sète – Residency as part of the In the Food for Love Festival
Various workspaces will be made available to residents during their residency.
A project
Lucusta Collective
Partners
M28 – Terres de culture
Ville de Sète
Le Dancing – Unanime collective
GrandMas project