Photo : Delphine Piau
Animated in the Kitchen with Delphine Piau
The first production by Delphine Piau, this film was born from a series of workshops conducted with families hosted at the temporary shelter site (SMAP) Valadon, located on Rue Ferdinand Flocon in the 18th arrondissement.
Bibliothèque Robert Sabatier (Paris 18th)
About
Booking recommended: online registration starting October 30th
Their names are Kadi, Mawa, Mariama.
Along with their families, they left Ivory Coast, Guinea, Senegal.
Crossed borders, sometimes the sea.
Their paths crossed in this former high school in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, which became an emergency shelter center.
Around a table, a cinema and stop-motion workshop themed around cooking takes shape.
A way to try to tell their stories. Differently.
Frame by frame, their voices are laid down.
Dishes become words.
Learned gestures become landscapes.
Scissors and glue open paths that go back in time.
And what was left behind takes on color once more.
Little by little, something is woven.
Fragile and alive, like those little cut-out tissue papers that come to life.
They open an unexpected, yet vital space:
That of poetry.
And of connection.
Delphine is a documentary editor. In parallel, she explores more artisanal and playful forms of expression, notably through stop-motion animation and film photography.
This creative sharing time took place over several months with the collaboration of the Emmaüs Solidarité team, who supervised the families on-site.
Around the sharing of cooking recipes, she guided them image after image in discovering the patience of the gesture and trust in what unfolds, even when nothing seems to move.
On Saturday, November 21st, she invites you to cook in the manner of Kadi, Mawa, and Mariama in a workshop from 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM: participants create or use cut-out paper elements (ingredients, objects, characters, landscapes, utensils...) and animate them using stop-motion software, a camera or smartphone, and a light table. The paper elements come to life in short sequences, a prelude to the film screening at 6:00 PM and a friendly discussion with the director.
Our take on this event
Forget standard cooking classes and try your hand at stop-motion animation to bring your favorite recipes to life. Through paper cutouts and collaborative storytelling, you will create a short film before enjoying an insightful discussion with the artist behind the project.
Join filmmaker Delphine Piau at the Robert Sabatier Library on November 21, 2026, for a creative stop-motion workshop themed around cooking. Drawing inspiration from the life stories of families from West Africa, this session invites you to bring paper cutouts to life through animation. It is a unique opportunity to explore storytelling, patience, and poetic expression. The event is free of charge and fully wheelchair accessible. Please note that online registration is required starting October 30 to participate in this artistic experience.
On Saturday, November 21, 2026, the Robert Sabatier Library hosts an engaging workshop led by documentary editor Delphine Piau. This project, developed in collaboration with Emmaüs Solidarité, explores themes of migration and identity by using cooking as a common thread. Participants are invited to create short stop-motion animations using paper cutouts of ingredients, kitchen tools, and landscapes, guided by professional techniques involving smartphones, cameras, and light boxes.
The creative session runs from 14:30 to 17:30. During these hours, you will learn to animate static paper elements into dynamic sequences, focusing on the beauty of the craft and the stories they evoke. At 18:00, the day continues with a screening of the collective work, followed by a friendly discussion with Delphine Piau about the creative process and the bonds formed during the project.
This event is free to attend. To secure your spot, you must register online starting October 30. The venue is wheelchair accessible, ensuring everyone can join this collaborative journey into animation and storytelling located in the 18th arrondissement.
