User:Lweisse/Julien Dumont

Julien Dumont, born in Lyon on September 26, 1985, is a director, screenwriter, producer, artist, and director of the Cinema & Miniature Museum of Lyon.

After studying medicine, Julien Dumont co-founded a special effects studio, dbfx workshop, in Geneva with Kennocha Baud. This was followed by the creation of a production company, Titan Films, which earned the couple several awards.

Biography and cinema projects

As part of the NIFFF festival, he produced, wrote, and directed the series "Le Cinquième Cavalier" in collaboration with Jean Daniel Schneider, Kennocha Baud, and Cédric Chabloz in 2018.

In 2019, he directed and produced the documentary film "Tintin Moonwalker" in collaboration with Éditions Moulinsart and the Hergé Foundation. This marked the first time that original panels and some preparatory drawings from "Destination Moon" and "Explorers on the Moon" were filmed.

Since 2014, he has also collaborated with NASA and SwissApollo on documentaries, special events, and interviews, including with Buzz Aldrin, Jim Lovell, and Gene Kranz.

In 2022, he acquired the Krafft collection, which includes all the archives of the volcanologist couple. He produced the documentary "In the Heart of the Volcanoes: Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft", directed by Werner Herzog in co-production with BLP Production and Bonne Pioche Production. The film has won several awards. He is currently working with André Demaison and Virginie Dumont on a feature film about the life of Maurice and Katia Krafft.

Krafft Collection

In 2019, Julien Dumont approached Bertrand Krafft for the needs of the feature film he was preparing about Katia and Maurice Krafft. Bertrand offered him the entire Krafft collection, which includes over 300,000 photos and 800 hours of 16mm film. To date, this is the largest collection of volcanology in the world.

Archived in the reserves of the Cinema & Miniature Museum, André Demaison (explorer and friend of Maurice and Katia Krafft) leads a team dedicated to digitizing the entire collection to preserve this historical and scientific heritage.

The Cinema & Miniature Museum of Lyon

In 2021, Julien Dumont acquired the Cinema & Miniature Museum. This transition was facilitated by his friend Dan Ohlman, a miniaturist artist and the museum's founder in 2004. The museum currently holds one of the world's largest private collections of original objects related to the history of cinema. The museum exhibits, among other things: the original VistaVision camera used in the filming of "Vertigo", "The Ten Commandments", and "Star Wars"; the original Batman costume; miniatures used in Wes Anderson's films; Thor's hammer; Charlie Chaplin's cane, and more.

The museum also lends items to several institutions, including the Cinémathèque Française in Paris and the Louis de Funès Museum in Saint-Raphaël.

Museum actions

Julien Dumont participated in rescuing collections from the Testut Latarjet Museum of Anatomy and Natural History in Lyon. He financed and provided suitable storage means to preserve this heritage.

He lent his life-sized Spitfire to the Lyon-Corbas Aviation Museum. This Spitfire was previously part of the collection at the Musée Volant Salis in La Ferté-Alais.

Artist biography

Together with his wife Kennocha Baud, he creates bronze sculptures and miniatures for artists and the Daniel Maghen gallery:

For Didier Graffet:

"Airstream" - patinated bronze - art edition

"Union Pacifique" - patinated bronze - art edition

For Kim Jung Gi:

"Crab Girl" - patinated bronze - art edition

"Tiger" - patinated bronze - art edition

For Laurent Gapaillard:

"Citacielle" - volume, resin-coated wood - unique piece

For Frédéric Pillot:

"Edmond the Dog" - polychrome resin - art edition

"The Birthday Thief" - polychrome resin - art edition