Un Héritage Empoisonné - Isabelle Loodts

Some dangers do not disappear when time passes. Long after conflicts end, unexploded shells, chemical residues and contaminated soils continue to shape the landscapes we inhabit. And when we speak of nuclear waste, the horizon extends far beyond any human lifetime. Invisible or buried, these risks persist. How do we remain attentive when a threat continues across generations?

Un héritage empoisonné (2018) follows the enduring toxic traces of the First World War. Filmmaker, journalist and archaeologist Isabelle Loodts travels through regions still marked by buried munitions and chemical pollution. She meets residents living with contaminated land and those who, even today, encounter remnants of what was once hidden underground.

From WWI dumping sites in Lorraine and the Meuse, the film moves toward an even longer legacy: nuclear waste and the debates surrounding deep geological storage near Bure. What does it mean to safeguard the future when danger lies sealed below the surface? And how can public authorities monitor, manage and communicate such long-lasting risks?

After the screening, Isabelle Loodts will join us for a conversation on what landscapes preserve, what societies choose to overlook and how responsibility evolves when environmental consequences endure.