FAMILY PORTRAITS

​​In 2024, Yann Arthus-Bertrand decided to resume a major project he had begun 30 years earlier: to paint a portrait of France through its inhabitants. This work culminated in a landmark book, for which Yann collaborated with demographer Hervé Le Bras. The film Family Photos reveals the richness of these encounters across France.​

 

To carry out the project, Yann Arthus-Bertrand and his team traveled the country and set up their photo studio in the four corners of France, in the style of early 20th-century portrait photographers. Families, friends, and colleagues gathered to pose, in groups or alone, with their animals, their work or leisure tools, in front of the brown burlap backdrop that is the signature feature of Yann's photos.​

 

Demographer Hervé Le Bras, who has been analyzing France's evolution for decades, complements Yann's images with his figures and reflections. Beyond the photographer's images, the film, which follows the team closely, reveals the private lives of some of the people photographed. Their stories weave a common narrative that connects us all.