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The Maison de Jour de Fête in Ste Sévère sur Indre immerses you in the burlesque world of filmmaker Jacques Tati and his first feature film “Jour de Fête”. With its scenography and its atmosphere of the 50s, this place is a true hymn to joy in the heart of the village square, which has become a real movie star. A retro shop welcomes you, where everyone will rediscover a bit of their childhood with traditional sweets, games from the past but also a bookstore area.   

A humorous visit with François the postman and his bike

The Maison de Jour de Fête is a real spectacle to relive the story of the filming of Jacques Tati's film, made in Ste-Sévère in 1947. Once pushed through the door, the visitor enters the world of the 1950s with the François le Postman's post office, then you will let yourself be carried by the voice of a child from the village for a sound journey in the middle of the film sets, in a film studio of the time. 70mn of laughter and emotions for the whole family. ...

Why Tati in Ste Sévère sur Indre?

We are in 1940, during the Occupation, Jacques Tati then famous for his mime performances dreams of leaving the music hall. He has already participated as an actor in a few films and wrote a few short films, but the war and the German occupation will upset his projects. Here he is requisitioned by the compulsory labor service and he is ordered to go and entertain the German population. After 2 weeks, Tati and her scriptwriter friend Henri Marquet returned to France. In order to escape the German authorities they settled in the free zone in 1943 near Ste Sévère. They write the screenplay for " The factor school " and promise to come back to shoot their 1er feature film. 

In June 1947, the inhabitants of Ste Sévère were surprised to see Jacques Tati disembark with technicians, actors and filming equipment. Like the funfair that comes to animate the peaceful village of the film, the shooting of Jour de Fête was, for one summer, an everyday celebration and mobilized all the inhabitants of the village, happy and proud of participate in this unusual adventure.

The public success of Jour de fête then its triumph (prize for the best screenplay at the Venice Film Festival in 1949, Grand Prize for French Cinema in 1950) did not manage to make Tati forget the welcome that Sainte Sévère had given him. And the filmmaker often returned, until the end of his life, to visit the inhabitants of Sainte Sévère. For their part, the inhabitants of Sainte Sévère have never forgotten the event. And Tati's death in 1982 did not change the privileged relationship that the entire village has with him. Even today, Jacques Tati's cinema inspires more than one….

A historical and cinematographic visit of Ste Sévère sur Indre!

On foot or by bike, everyone can stroll through the small historic and picturesque alleys of the village of Ste Sévère thanks to the route allowing to better understand the history of this city but also to discover the locations of the filming! Hilly landscapes announcing the nearby Limousin await the most athletic thanks to cycle routes that can be downloaded from the Cirkwi application. Ask for the historical historical route at the reception of the Maison de Jour de Fête.  

Useful information

Feast Day House
Place du marché
36160 Sainte-Sévère-Sur-Indre - 02 54 31 21 78
https://www.maisondejourdefete.com/