Under the Rhine plain flows an invisible river—an aquifer ecosystem where water and life carve their paths. This water can be glimpsed in rare places where it bursts forth under the pressure of the subsoil, forming crystal-clear streams. In this pure water, a unique form of life thrives. However, this treasure is under threat from invasive species, intensive agriculture, and irrigation practices that dry up rivers.
Serge Dumont, assistant professor at the University of Strasbourg and a filmmaker, captured these aquatic environments on film, focusing particularly on the gravel pits of Alsace, in collaboration with the Ried Bleu association.
More than 500 dives and countless hours of footage were needed for Serge Dumont—a biologist at the Laboratory Image, City, Environment (LIVE, CNRS/Unistra)—to bring his "most ambitious film" to life, a project he has nurtured for a decade. The Invisible River: A Treasure under the Rhine Plain follows the journey of groundwater, a hidden jewel flowing beneath our feet.