Opening this week and finishing on 2 March 2014 at Gaîté Lyrique, Paris, les Rencontres Internationales creates a space of discovery and reflection focused on new cinema and contemporary art. Between new cinema and contemporary art, this unique event in Europe provide a rare opening on contemporary audiovisual practices. Documentary approaches, experimental fictions, videos, hybrid forms: the programme of Rencontres Internationales is the result of a thorough research and invitations to some artists, personalities from the cinema and the contemporary art. In the presence of artists and filmmakers from all over the world, the event will offer an international programme gathering 115 works from 48 countries, internationally-known artists and filmmakers and young artists and filmmakers presented for the first time: screenings - premières, cartes blanches, video programme -, performances, and panel discussion in the presence of art centre and museum directors. curators, artists and distributors who will share their experience and concerns about current moving image practices. The programme at Gaîté Lyrique is entirely in free admission. Highlights of this year's event include:

• An exceptional audiovisual concert by Thomas Köner during the opening on February 24 at Palais de Tokyo.
• The screening in Première in Paris of STAGING SILENCE (2) by Hans Op de Beeck, in his presence.
• A focus on Sweden, with notably a screening dedicated to the artist Lina Selander in her presence, and a screening with the colorful duo SIMKA.
• The exceptional screening of the film COAST ZONE co-directed by Merce Cunningham and Charles Atlas in 1983.
• Première of I WILL COME BACK AS A BABY, full-length movie directed by Christian Merlhiot, a wonderful interrogation on identity, set up in the inuit community in the Canadian Arctic.
• The screening in French Première of COMING TO TERMS, the latest film by Jon Jost, pioneer and major character of the American independent cinema.
• The screening in European Première of the latest film by Pierre Coulibeuf, starring Jan Fabre, DOCTOR FABRE WILL CURE YOU.
• The presentation in European Première of REQUIEM NN, documentary by the artist Manuel Echavarria, after the screening at MoMA in New York in October 2013.
• Among the 120 programmed films and videos, often in international Première: Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster (France), Bjørn Melhus (Germany), John Smith (USA), Peter Downsbrough (USA), Su-mei Tse(Luxembourg), Yves Netzhammer (Suisse), Nicolas Provost (Belgium),Paul Rowley (Ireland), Niklas Goldbach (Germany), Noëlle Pujol (France), Sarah Vanagt (Netherlands), Ariane Michel (France), Sandro Aguilar (Portugal), Pascal Grandmaison (Canada).

The programme is completed by a forum and panel discussions in the presence of art centre and museum directors. curators, artists and distributors who will share their experience and concerns about current moving image practices. In presence of Giulia Ferracci, curator at MAXXI National Museum of XXI Century Arts (Rome), Emilia Tavares, curator at Museu Do Chiado - Museu Nacional de Arte Contemporanea (Lisbon), Lena Essling, curator at Moderna Museet (Stockholm), among others. Further details at the Art Action website here.