On the Edge (État limite)
Nicolas Peduzzi, 2023, Documentary, 103 min.
In French with English Subtitles
Q&A with Rishi Goyal and Thomas Dodman

Hôpital Beaujon, Clichy, France. In defiance of the imperatives of efficiency and the lack of means that plague the public hospital, Doctor Jamal Abdel Kader, the only psychiatrist in the establishment, tries to give back to his patients the humanity they are often denied. But how to treat patients well in a sick institution?

Watch the trailer.

Nicolas Peduzzi is a French actor and director. He studied theater and cinema in New York, which led him to the stage of an off-Broadway play directed by Susan Batson, that he also co-wrote. Then Nicolas directed several short films and videos. His first feature documentary, Southern Belle, a raw, empathic cinematic portrait of real-life 26 year-old Texan Taelor Ranzau, was released in 2018, and won the Grand Prix of the FID Marseille in 2019. In 2021, Ghost Song portrayed young people in Houston living on the "fringes" and fighting for survival in a space that seems to devour people and dreams. On the Edge is his third feature-length documentary film.

Speakers

Rishi Goyal is Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and Medical Humanities and Ethics at the Irving Medical Center, and the Director of the Medicine, Literature and Society Program at the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society at Columbia University. He is a former SOF/Heyman board member.

Thomas Dodman is Assistant Professor of French at Columbia University, a member of the Medical Humanities Advisory Board and Director of the History and Literature (HiLi) MA at Columbia’s Global Center in Paris. His work explores social transformation through the study of emotions and medicine. He also currently serves on the board of the SOF/Heyman.

This film screening is presented as part of the Columbia University Maison Française 2024 Film Festival, CINEMA/CARE. The Festival is produced and presented by the Columbia Maison Française and curated by Fanny Guex, and Shanny Peer, and Eva Martin. The full festival program can be found here.