Experiencing Interruptions?

The Starry Hours

AGNI, a visual artist in the twilight of his life, paints in isolation in his artwork-house. Anchored in an obsessive routine, he devotes every spare moment to his creativity. Yet, as the hours slip away, his health declines. He resists, prolonging his existence through his passion, his infinite and impossible quest: to complete his titanic work. Obsessed with his creations, he forgets his advanced age, but the confrontation with the end of his existence is inevitable. Soon, he will join the stars that gaze down on the glass roof of his studio.

  • Loris Theurillat
    Director
  • Axel Clarmont
    Director
  • Loris Theurillat
    Writer
  • Axel Clarmont
    Writer
  • Loris Theurillat
    Producer
  • Axel Clarmont
    Producer
  • AGNI, Antoine Piron Meyer
    Key Cast
  • Luc de Villars
    Key Cast
  • Grisette
    Key Cast
  • Axel Bezençon
    Editor
  • Loris Theurillat
    DOP
  • Julia Germann
    Composer
  • Marc Alberisio
    Sound Editor
  • Pascal Weissbaum
    Sound Editor
  • Axel Bezençon
    Sound Editor
  • Marc Alberisio
    Re-Recording Mixer
  • Pascal Weissbaum
    Re-Recording Mixer
  • Dario Willommet
    Color Grader
  • Delphine Moënnat
    Graphic designer
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Les Heures Étoilées
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    Arts, Biographical documentary
  • Runtime:
    21 minutes 27 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 3, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    0 CHF
  • Country of Origin:
    Switzerland
  • Country of Filming:
    Switzerland
  • Language:
    French
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1:85
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Loris Theurillat, Axel Clarmont

Loris Theurillat (1998, CH) lives in Lausanne, Switzerland. After studying photography at CEPV (Applied Arts in Vevey), he graduated with a bachelor's degree in cinema, specialising in image, from ECAL/École Cantonale d'Art de Lausanne. As part of his final year of study, he was the cinematographer for Olivia Ginevra Calcaterra's first short film, « The wonderful pain of the wild broom » (Visions du Réel, Uppsala International Short Film Festival, Solothurn Film Festival).
Since then, he has worked as director of photography on several short films and music videos, such as « Kiss » (Solothurn Film Festival) and « Les Heures Étoilées ». In 2024, he was the replacement director of photography on Matias Carlier's « Toute ma vie » (Visions du réel – Special Mention). At the same time, he works in the Swiss film industry, mainly as a camera operator, notably on « Winter Palace », « Intraçables » (Séries Mania), and « Butterfly Stroke » by Denis Rabaglia.

« Les Heures Étoilées » is his first short film as a director (co-directed with Axel Clarmont).

Alongside his work in cinema, photography allows him to question collective beliefs and how they are organised. His first photographic work, « Baume » (2024), was unanimously awarded the 13th Prix Focale and led to his first solo exhibition. In 2025, he won first prize in the competition organised by the Lausanne-based ABPi foundation with a photograph from the « Hallali » series.

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Axel Clarmont (Axel Bezençon), born in 1998 in Singapore and raised in Aubonne, Switzerland, has been passionate about cinema since a young age. He obtained a Bachelor's degree in film, specialising in editing, at ECAL (2017-2021), followed by a Master's degree in film editing at ZHdK (2023-2026).

He took his first steps in the Swiss film industry working as an assistant editor for television (RTS, Radio Télévision Suisse) and cinema [ « Avant il n’y avait rien » (DOK Leipzig, Visions du Réel, CPH:DOX), « Les Paradis de Diane » (Berlinale, Locarno) and « Hors saison » (Séries Mania).] In 2024, he made his debut as a freelance editor. He regularly edits reports for RTS (« Mise au Point » and « Passe-moi les Jumelles »). He has edited more than a dozen short films for cinema, including « Galaxi Urnäsch 3000 » (Solothurn Film Festival in Switzerland and Sehsüchte Student Film Festival in Germany), « Stone Memory (Kameno Sećanje) » (Interaction: Short Docs Festival in Serbia), and more recently « Les Heures Étoilées ».

« Les Heures Étoilées » is also his first short documentary film as a director (co-directed with Loris Theurillat).

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

How can one prepare for the end of life? How to live with a body that lets us down? In “Les Heures Étoilées”, Axel Clarmont and Loris Theurillat meet AGNI, an 82-year-old visual artist who is preparing to enter the final stage of his life.

Antoine Piron-Meyer (AGNI) has been painting for over 60 years. He lives in a house overflowing with his works, where every corner is dedicated to creation. Initially conceived as a film about passion through his frenetic practice, Antoine's concerns about death imposed themselves on the young filmmakers, for whom the end of life seems so distant. They discovered an elderly man who was passionate but also ill, slowed down by age, taking care of his diet and seeing his closest friends pass away. Despite his cancer, AGNI clings to his creations and continues to produce works in which he expresses his anxieties.

Deeply moved by his struggle, the directors wanted to tell the story of this man who knows he will not have time to finish his work, but who continues to create. Of his existence, he will leave a mark.