The REFUGE Institute is an independent research-creation studio located in Northern Alps (Haute-Savoie), founded by Aurélie Debusschère, filmmaker & researcher.

The Institute operates on an itinerant and partnership-based model: without its own fixed location, it relies on a network of cultural and natural sites to carry out its missions.

Its mission: to create indigenous collective or ‘local’ films, with the participation of residents, to tell the story of their land in all its diversity.

The Institute addresses a foundational research question: “How can the collective creation of a cinematic work transform the dynamics of a territory?” At the interface between issues of belonging, knowledge transmission, and living together, the Institute invites you to embark on a thrilling human adventure.