Black Sun

A poetic journey into the mind of a blind artist

Black Sun is a documentary directed by Gary Tarn that explores the extraordinary life of French artist and filmmaker Hugues de Montalembert, who lost his sight after a brutal assault in New York in 1978. What could have marked the end of his creative life instead became the beginning of a new way of seeing. De Montalembert learned to navigate the world again, finding his way through the streets of New York, cooking his own meals, and travelling alone to distant countries such as Indonesia and India.

Defying all expectations, he continued to create and to live with freedom and curiosity. From the moment of his blindness, his mind began to generate continuous images, like a private film projected within his imagination. This phenomenon inspired Tarn’s cinematic approach: a fusion of impressionistic visuals, music, and philosophical narration that mirrors the inner landscapes of a man who can no longer see the external world.

Through this sensory and poetic language, Black Sun becomes more than a biographical account. It is a meditation on perception, creativity, and the power of the human spirit to transform tragedy into beauty. The film premiered at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival and earned Gary Tarn a BAFTA nomination for the Carl Foreman Award for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer in their First Feature Film.