From the opening scene of the brilliant film, GABIN (2026), which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this year, it was clear you were in the hands of a master of the craft of documentary. And it's no wonder: director Maxence Voiseux and producer Élise Hug worked ten years to make this happen.

How such brilliance wound up on a screen at Cannes is what I wanted to know from the filmmakers, and they were happy to share.

What Maxence and Élise want you to know about the film;

why it was made indistinguishably from a narrative film (really!) and what that means for the state of docs;
the long ten year journey of getting GABIN made;
what makes an "auter-driven" documentary and why GABIN is such a marvelous work from a director with a vision;
how each got into documentary film;
"distance is the core of documentary" -- how he made that statement happen for GABIN and advice for documentarians for their own films;
producing a film for 10 years -- is that easier or harder than a shorter timeframe? -- and the challenges particularly in France;
the role of the Cannes Film Festival in elevating documentaries and how to expand that ability to other directors;
their strategy coming into the Cannes Film Festival;
how people should follow when GABIN will be available.
weighing how much directors have to participate on social media.

Indie Film Highlight: LA DETENTION (2026) dir. by Guillaume Massart

Links:

Lightdox's GABIN

VARIETY Review of GABIN (2026)