WINNER - FIPADOC 2026 - Grand Prix, Best Musical Documentary
From acclaimed director Philippe Béziat (Becoming Traviata), one of France's leading chroniclers of the performing arts, WE, THE PARIS ORCHESTRA takes audiences onto the stage of the Philharmonie de Paris and among the 120 musicians of the Orchestre de Paris, as they rehearse and perform under their young, prodigiously gifted conductor Klaus Mäkelä.
What is an orchestra, after all? A collection of individuals working in harmony, or a dictatorship ruled by the conductor’s authority? And how does a group of musicians live and work together for decades without falling apart? Set to glorious performances of Stravinsky, Mahler, Ravel, Bartók and more, the film seeks its answers by capturing the dynamics within the orchestra.
With cameras and microphones moving freely among the musicians for the first time, WE, THE PARIS ORCHESTRA goes behind the scenes and into the heart of the ensemble. Whether it lingers on the players at work or joins in their camaraderie and occasional clashes, it reveals the lively social tensions usually hidden from the concert hall. The result is a jubilant ode to the transcendent power of classical music, and to the disparate individuals who come together to play as one.
Fuelled by rapturous word of mouth, WE, THE PARIS ORCHESTRA became a box-office hit in France in mid 2026, drawing close to 200,000 cinemagoers.