Alizie - Theodore Monod Lord of the Desert (2007)

An intimate portrait following Theodore Monod's last expedition in the Tibesti desert North of Tchad in 1997 before he died aged 98 in November 2000. This film pays tribute to the life and work of this exceptional scientist, philosopher and thinker of our time who devoted his life to natural and human sciences and became one of the most knowledgeable naturalist-explorer of the Saharan-Africa. In 1938 he founded the Institut Francais d'Afrique Noire in Dakar- Senegal and joined the National Museum of Natural History, becoming a professor there in 1946. Mingling exclusive footage of his expeditions and newsclips with more personal archives, this film retraces Monod's unique life itinerary as one of the last encyclopaedists and humanist of our time moved by the deepest respect for all living creatures and engaged in the fight for justice and peace. Let us share his knowledge and thoughts.

Based on Theodore Monod's last desert expedition in 1996, the film depicts the life, the challenges and the mind of one of the outstanding personalities of the 20 th century.

The breathtaking images of the Tibesti desert, where we follow Monod in his quest of a flower he discovered fifty six years before, alternate with archives never released before, news footages and first hand accounts including those of Ambroise, Theodore's own son and of an other close friend, Jean-Marc Durou, photographer of the Sahara desert.

Against the background of this splendid desert Monod loved so much, you can hear his voice as he comments the events, we stand by him and his team members as they face the hardships of the trip, we discover the man, his humour, his bursts of enthusiasm and signs of impatience, we follow him in his ultimate botanical and spiritual adventure, along what he called his quest of the “holy grail”.