The Festival De La Plume à La Toile brings together more than 700 spectators in three days, “the public was waiting for this rebirth”

The cultural festival's grand return was a success. From the Castillonnès cinema to the Villeréal hall, the public traveled from pen to canvas, exploring books and their film adaptations.

Three authors, three books, and three films. The festival's format was fully embraced by more than 700 spectators eager to discover films and documentaries inspired by primarily literary works. A record for this event, which owes its success to the loyalty of its audience after a hiatus of several years. "People were waiting for this revival," confides Albéric de Bideran, founder of De la Plume à la Toile, which he relaunched with Thibaut Martinez-Delcayrou, a journalist from Villeréal.

"It's never been like this!" rejoices Albéric de Bideran, who organized the editions from 2008 to 2011 with his wife Marie. For this big comeback, the program had everything to attract a wide audience: a documentary against a backdrop of geopolitical issues, an unsolved criminal case, and a global bestseller. A success that surprised even Lætitia Colombani, author of " La Tresse," impressed by the number of spectators in Castillonnès for her film "even though it's available on the Netflix streaming platform," she marveled in front of the Ciné 4 theater.

The enthusiasm for books and their films was felt in the discussions under the Villeréal market hall. Conversations continued during the signing sessions. For the occasion, the guests' books were offered for sale by the Bordeaux bookstore Au bord des livres .

From the very first evening, travel writer Cédric Gras was full of questions. This observation reinforces the organizers' decision to offer a documentary. "Where novels raise questions about the construction of a narrative, documentaries allow for a topical debate based on journalism," explains Thibaut Martinez-Delcayrou.

By the end of the festival, elected officials and volunteers were already planning the next edition. A desire shared by Albéric and Marie de Bideran and Thibaut Martinez-Delcayrou. They say they're already working on a new program for August 2026, with a theme that's currently being kept secret.