For its 4th edition, the Festival Méliès "The Way of All Narratives" is thinking big. Before setting up at the Aragon-Triolet Art Cinema in Orly for the closing day, the festival will open its doors as early as Monday for an exclusive lecture.
Preview: Monday, January 5th Lecture
We are pleased to announce an additional lecture that will kick off the festivities right here at the school. A must-attend event for animation enthusiasts.
Lecture by Vincent CAUDEVILLE:
"Character Animation and Storytelling"
- Date: Monday, January 5, 2026
- Time: 5:30 PM
- Location: École Méliès (Cinema Hall)
The Main Event: Thursday, January 8th
The festival's highlight will take place on Thursday, January 8, 2026. Organized by École Méliès, this day will bring together major industry figures on stage. From 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM, they will take the mic to share their vision of the realities and future of image-making professions.
A Cycle of Exceptional Conferences
The heart of the festival will beat to the rhythm of a series of top-tier conferences, designed to inspire both students in training and seasoned professionals.
The goal is clear: to decode the backstage of creation, from the secrets of traditional animation to the latest VFX breakthroughs, including the challenges of modern storytelling. It is a rare opportunity to hear those who "make" the image take the time to explain their craft.
Meet the Speakers
Click on the cards to discover their backgrounds.
Vincent Caudeville
Senior 3D Animator (VFX)
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Vincent Caudeville is a 3D animator with over twenty years of experience in character and creature animation. After artistic training in France at Atelier de Sèvres and then at École Georges Méliès, he began his career in 2004. He collaborated closely with Fabrice O. Joubert on the short film French Roast, nominated for an Oscar and awarded at SIGGRAPH.
His career then led him to work for world-renowned studios such as Illumination Mac Guff, Wētā FX, and Framestore. He has worked on iconic films, including several installments of The Hobbit and Planet of the Apes sagas, as well as Avatar.
Based in New Zealand since 2013, he has established himself as a Senior VFX Animator, paying particular attention to the emotional dimension of performance. For him, animation remains, above all, a matter of feeling and interpretation.
Denis Brusseaux
Journalist, Screenwriter & Narrative Director
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A journalist specializing in cinema and video games (DVDRAMA, Joypad), film screenwriter (THE LOOKOUT in 2012 by Michele Placido, SIX DAYS in 2025 by Juan Carlos Medina), author (Nicolas Cage, la folie au tournant, 2022), and Narrative Director for Ubisoft.
Denis Brusseaux has been involved for several years with École Méliès, giving him the opportunity to express his other passion: transmitting experience and knowledge regarding one of this century's essential challenges—storytelling.
Bastien Chauvet
VFX & Animation Specialist
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Drawn to storytelling and illusion from childhood, he started in theater before moving into visual effects. A 2005 graduate of École Méliès, he moves between animation and live-action (Raoul Peck, Luc Besson, Peter Jackson at Wētā FX).
After supervising several productions at MPC Paris (Murder Mystery 2, Serpent Queen), he now dedicates himself to teaching the History of Special Effects, serving as secretary for Level Up and VES France, and writing his feature film, "Revoir".
Benjamin Weislo
Senior Animator & Instructor
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With 15 years of experience as a senior animator (Illumination, Mikros, Skydance...), he specializes in parallel in acting, body language, neuroscience, psychology, non-verbal communication, video editing, and musical composition.
Today, he is dedicated to teaching this new approach to animation with École Méliès.
Julie Ponsonnet & Zulma Rouge
Screenwriters & Directors
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Julie Ponsonnet is a screenwriter, consultant, and teacher. She has co-written several shorts and feature films (including Le Million) and is the author of the reference book "The Art of Writing a Screenplay" (Eyrolles, 2023).
Zulma Rouge is a writer-director. Her short films (Un réflexe, Le Syndrome) and her mini-series Super Thérapie have met with wide success in festivals.
They are currently co-writing Zulma's first feature film, "Famille décomposée" (a dark comedy) produced by Picseyes Films.
Eric Gandois
Storyboard Artist
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Trained at Gobelins, Eric Gandois is one of the most prolific French storyboard artists (over 90 films and series). He collaborates regularly with Luc Besson (Lucy, Valerian) and has worked on works such as Lupin, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Lost Bullet.
In 2014, he also directed Eve, a stereoscopic 3D sci-fi short film selected in numerous festivals.
Réjane Hamus-Vallée
University Professor
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Professor at the University of Évry Paris-Saclay, she directs the Master's program "Image and Society." Her research focuses mainly on special effects (Special Effects in Cinema, Painting for Cinema), film professions, and visual sociology.
Maxime Mathis
Film Editor
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An ESEC graduate editor, Maxime has collaborated since 2015 with Laure Gardette on films such as The Prayer, DNA, and November.
In parallel, he has edited several projects as lead editor, including Soul Kids (SACEM Prize), The Source (Berlinale 2024), as well as The Voice of Hind Rajab (Silver Lion in Venice, 2025).
Relive the Previous Edition
To give you a taste of the quality of the talks, we invite you to dive back into the highlights of last year.
Recordings from the previous edition are available and testify to the richness of the subjects covered. An ideal catch-up session to understand the DNA of this festival: technical precision mixed with a passion for storytelling.
Find the replays of the previous edition following this article.
Practical Information (Thursday, Jan 8)
Access to the conference day at the Aragon-Triolet cinema requires registration.
- Date: Thursday, January 8, 2026
- Hours: 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM
- Location: Cinéma Aragon-Triolet, 1 place Gaston Viens, 94310 Orly
- Registration: Registration Form
