Serge Dumont : 51 minutes : France
* Silver Banner in Documentaries
Awarded at other festivals: Galathéa d'or in the documentary category for the film "Le fleuve invisible, un trésor sous la plaine du Rhin" at the festival de l'image sous-marine de Hyères, le 23 mars 2019, Hyères (France). | Grand prize (Deutschen Filmpreis Biodiversität) and youth prize at the Ludwigsburg Naturfilmfestival for the film "The invisible river, a treasure under the Rhine plain", 14 July 2019, Ludwigsburg (Germany). | Hérisson d'argent de la catégorie " Nature " du 33ème festival international du film nature & environnement, France Nature Environnement Isère, décembre 2019, Grenoble (France). | Palme d'or catégorie pro, at the 33ème Fête de l'image sous-marine et de l'environnement de Strasbourg, mars 2020 (France).
The water collected by the Alps, the Vosges and the Black Forest flows into the North Sea. Some of it travels through surface streams and rivers, but most of the water flows underground. This is the water table of the Rhine: the largest in Europe.
This water can be seen in rare places, as it bubbles up under the pressure of the subsoil, forming crystal clear rivers where unique life flourishes.
"The Invisible River" tells the story of the links between surface water, rivers and gravel pits, with the underground water table, an interaction at the origin of unique biotopes where life made its way. A treasure, however, threatened by invasive species, but also by intensive agriculture and irrigation.