ABOUT VALENTIN DENYSET

Born in 1993, in the suburbs of Paris, Valentin Denyset has a scientific education (engineer) and a literature background (modern literature at the Sorbonne University).

As a passionate writer and photographer, Valentin received several prestigious international awards for his images (link).

In 2017, driven by a longing for vast, uncharted landscapes and adventure, and encouraged by one of his professors, Valentin launched the Hundraputi project. This ambitious venture aimed to spend 100 days exploring the Arctic, from Sweden to Greenland via Norway. That same year, he wrote a professional thesis exploring the theme of solitude.

In August 2018, Valentin embarked on his first Arctic expedition, a 30-day solo journey. His goal was to traverse from Kiruna in Sweden to Narvik in Norway. After crossing the Abisko National Park, he continued to Tromsø and the Lyngen Alps, where he resupplied and captured the unique landscape through his photography.

Valentin then completed his engineering studies in Gothenburg, Sweden, living with a Swedish family. Due to the prohibitive cost of traveling to Greenland, he adapted his Hundraputi project, deciding to spend an entire winter immersed in nature.

From mid-January to March 2019, Valentin lived alone in a wooden cabin on the plains of Finnmark, one of Norway’s coldest regions. He spent his days exploring, photographing, and filming the stark, beautiful environment. Upon leaving Finnmark, he journeyed along the coast to Bodø, passing through the picturesque Lofoten Islands.

In 2021, his short film « Alone beneath the Northern Lights » (« Seul sous les aurores ») won awards at around thirty international film festivals and was presented to the César 2023.

By early 2022, Valentin completed his book « Seul sous les aurores, » a novel that vividly recounts his adventures and encounters in the Far North.

In the summer of 2022, he ventured into the remote reaches of Siberia to film a documentary about the Tsaatans, a nomadic Mongolian people.

In 2023, Valentin traveled to the Sahara Desert to document the Sebiba, a Tuareg cultural event in southeastern Algeria, near the borders of Libya and Niger.

His 52-minute film « Tsaatans, Guardians of the Taiga » is set to be released in 2024, along with a new documentary on the El Rocío pilgrimage in Andalusia.