IN PROGRESS

Alter Heroes is a photographic documentary series exploring the world of cosplay and geek culture in France. Far from clichés, this work shows the faces of those who embody their favourite fictional characters in order to exist, express themselves or simply belong to a community.

France is now the world's second biggest consumer of manga, just behind Japan. Every year, more than 40 million copies are sold, and more than 60 events linked to geek and Japanese culture are organised throughout the country. Yet behind the glitz and costumes lies a profound social reality: for many young people lacking connection, marginalised or isolated, these gatherings are essential. At a time when 12% of French people say they are socially isolated, cosplay is becoming a silent remedy.

Through the major gatherings organised in France's main towns and cities, Alter Heroes is fed by encounters on the ground, through major gatherings organised in the main cities of France. Some live in rural areas, sometimes far from any cultural or social structure, while others are going through complex personal situations. What they have in common is a vital need to embody themselves differently, freely. Through their costumes, their performances, their reunions, their moments in life, Alter Heroes sketches the portrait of an alternative France - a resilient, shy, creative and profoundly human youth, bound together by imagination but rooted in reality.