Documentary

01:10:00

France

Didier Canaux

Synopsis:

In the south of France, a gypsy family’s fight for survival: The Wall of Death Gypsy is a matter of life and death for the members of its mechanical circus. Outcast, free souls, punks, constantly on the edge, playing with the dangers of their trade. They share their dreams, wanting to live a free existence whilst creating an extraordinary and timeless show…
Far from the sanitized digital pleasures of our time, a return to the poetry of reality.

DIRECTOR'S BIOGRAPHY

Didier Canaux is a French visual artist, set designer, and film director whose multidisciplinary career bridges the worlds of fine art, cinema, and commercial imagery.

A graduate of the prestigious School of Visual Arts in New York, where he earned a Master’s degree in Visual Arts, Canaux began his career as an artist. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York.

As a set designer, he has contributed to some of the most iconic music videos of the past decades, collaborating with artists such as Madonna, Chris Isaak, Duran Duran, and Étienne Daho. His visual sensibility also led him to work alongside renowned directors including David Fincher, Diane Kurys, Marcus Nispel, Doug Nichol, and Alec Keshishian, among others.

With over 25 years of experience in visual storytelling, Canaux has directed more than one hundred commercials for major international brands, establishing himself as a filmmaker capable of blending strong visual design with emotional narrative precision.

His acclaimed short film, The Second Life of the Sugar Bowl, starring Philippe Clay, was selected in over fifty international film festivals, it was noted at the Tribeca film Festival, and received numerous awards worldwide.

Canaux’s most recent documentary, Wall of Death Gypsy, offers an intimate portrait of a family of traveling stunt performers who live and breathe the high-adrenaline tradition of the “Wall of Death.” The film, produced by Empreinte Digitale and broadcast by France 2, continues his exploration of extraordinary human stories told through a striking visual lens.

Through his work, Didier Canaux continues to merge artistic depth with cinematic craftsmanship, crafting images that reveal both the poetry and the tension of contemporary life.