The 2026 jury
Jean-Claude Desmonts
It was a schoolteacher who "infected" me with the photography bug. I must have been fourteen years old and I discovered photography with a cheap camera that someone had given me. Later, I acquired a nice SLR camera and, in 1973, I made my very first slideshow with the means available at the time: a slide projector, a cassette recorder and a homemade synchronizer.
Photography has always been a passion of mine, and while I'm only a modest amateur, I always take great pleasure in discovering the works of the greats at exhibitions, such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, who has always been an unparalleled master in my eyes. A lover of beautiful compositions, graphic images, and plays of color, I regularly attend painting exhibitions. Besides, aren't painting and photography two very closely related disciplines? Many great photographers have also wielded a brush and palette.
I am also a music lover, which is why I always pay close attention to the soundtrack in an audiovisual production – I don't like the word "editing." One of my favorite composers is certainly Rachmaninov, but my tastes range from Lully (17th century) to...e) to Brel, Bénabar or Souchon, by way of jazz and rock. On the other hand, I am also a history enthusiast, the 19the The 19th century being my preferred period. I have also had the pleasure of leading several conferences on various subjects as part of the activities of Triel, Mémoire & Histoire.
I am both honored and delighted to participate in the Lumière Cup as a judge, and I thank its organizers for granting me this privilege. I will do my best and strive to perform this role with complete impartiality.
Gérard Letessier
Curious by nature and a physicist by training, I have always appreciated being able to "record on film" the movements of life, but also to capture countless particular moments. My numerous business trips have helped me develop my analytical and synthesis skills.
From the 70s onwards I was printing my color silver gelatin photos on Cibachrome paper and in the 80s I was already making my first video montages.
Much later, retirement came in the midst of an explosion in digital information processing; for photography and video, this meant the rapid development of increasingly powerful tools, but the results, fortunately, remain dependent on the interpretation of the "director" and each subject treated is then the representation of his sensibilities.
Since then, my travels have been much more personal and often accompanied by specialists: ethnologists, ecologists, geologists or biologists...
Recently, I had to make a short film to promote a book about the history of the Earth and its current state. This gave me a real appreciation for the difficulty of creating such a film, but also for the satisfaction of achieving a finished product.
As a member of the Lumière Cup jury, it is an opportunity for me to view a good number of quality audiovisual montages and, at the same time, to appreciate the expression of the authors, who participate in the various classifications of the works presented.
Cecile Cadic
It is with great pleasure that I will carry out my duties as a judge for the Lumière Cup 2026 alongside my colleagues. It is also a great honor.
An amateur photographer with a passion for photography for 25 years,
I travel abroad very regularly. My photos mainly depict lifestyles, women and men in their homes, their customs, their struggles, and their joy of life. I specialize in candid portraits. Landscapes also deeply move me.
I admire the numerous audiovisual presentations given each year. They all share common traits: great creativity, remarkable technical quality, and a great deal of poetry. I always contemplate them with emotion.
Therefore, please be assured of my total commitment, motivation and impartiality in this important mission.
