Inaugural Residents

  • Writer, Director, Actor, Producer

    NOVEMBER 11 - 24, 2024

    Jim Jarmusch is an American director, screenwriter, actor, and producer in independent cinema, known for his minimalist style and subtle humor. Born in 1953 in Akron, Ohio, he gained international recognition with Stranger Than Paradise (1984), a cult film celebrated for its unique approach and exploration of society’s fringes. His notable works include Down by Law (1986), Dead Man (1995), Broken Flowers (2005), and Paterson (2016), often exploring themes of wandering and isolation through a distinctive visual style. Jarmusch came to Tallard for a creative residency with musician Anika, exploring new artistic directions that blend film and music.

  • Psychotherapist, Author, Speaker Podcaster

    MAY 26 - JUNE 28, 2025

    Esther Perel is a globally renowned psychotherapist, bestselling author, and sought-after speaker, redefining how we understand relationships, intimacy, and desire. Born in Antwerp and based in New York, she has built an international career at the intersection of psychology and culture. Her books, Mating in Captivity and The State of Affairs, have reshaped modern conversations on love and commitment, while her acclaimed podcast, Where Should We Begin?, brings listeners into real-time therapy sessions. Perel travels the world exploring the evolving nature of human connection. During her time in Paris, she will take part in public conversations and begin working on her new book.

  • Peacebuilder, social entrepreneur, and civil society leader

    2026, DATES TBC

    Martine Kessy Ekomo‑Soignet (RCA) founded URU, a youth-led NGO that promotes meaningful youth participation in peace and recovery efforts in the Central African Republic. She also leads Peace & Development Watch (PDW‑CAR), a think tank dedicated to analysis, foresight, and sustainable development in her country. In 2014, she was selected for the Mandela Washington Fellowship. She later served as a U.N. expert on the “Youth, Peace, and Security” agenda following Security Council Resolution 2250. Martine holds a Master’s degree in Geopolitics, International Security, and Sociology from the Catholic Institute of Paris. 

  • Historian, Storyteller, Visionary

    2027, DATES TBC

    Saidiya Hartman is an internationally renowned scholar, writer, and cultural historian whose work has profoundly reshaped the study of Black life, slavery, and freedom. A professor at Columbia University, she is the author of Scenes of Subjection, Lose Your Mother, and Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments, which received the National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism. Drawing on an innovative combination of archival research, critical theory, and narrative imagination, her work gives voice to lives marginalized or erased from the historical record. By tracing the enduring afterlives of slavery and racial violence, Hartman explores the possibilities of memory, care, and repair, while interrogating the conditions for a lasting peace grounded in justice, recognition, and dignity.

  • Lawyer, Social justice activist, and law professor

    DATES TBC 

    Bryan Stevenson (1959) is  the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to ending mass incarceration and challenging racial injustice in the United States, he is also a professor at NYU School of Law. Stevenson has argued numerous landmark cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, including the abolition of the death penalty for children, and has dedicated his career to defending those most marginalized by the legal system. A powerful advocate for racial equity and human rights, he emphasizes the importance of mercy, hope, and confronting systemic injustice, arguing that a commitment to justice requires moral courage and empathy. His work has inspired a national conversation about race, poverty, and the meaning of justice in America.

  • Writer, journalist & Political Analyst

    SEPTEMBER 23 - OCTOBER 4, 2024 

    Anand Giridharadas is known for his bold reflections on economic and social inequalities in the United States. He highlights the issue of targeted philanthropy, which is media-driven and stifles the debate of ideas. His book, Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World, brought him into the media spotlight by questioning the role and practices of economic and philanthropic elites. He worked as a consultant at McKinsey before dedicating himself to journalism.

    A former columnist for the New York Times, he is now an essayist and publishes his articles in The Atlantic, The Guardian, and The New Yorker. He regularly contributes to media discussions on democracy, economics, and power.

  • Facilitator, Author, Conflict Resolution Strategist.

    MARCH 26- 31, 2024

    Priya Parker helps individuals, groups, and organizations rethink their social interactions. With degrees in social and political sciences from Chicago and Harvard, she has worked for 15 years in international relations and diplomacy, collaborating with a diverse range of clients, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and universities. She employs innovative methods to help them create more authentic spaces for exchange by breaking free from conventions. 

    In 2018, she published The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why, which rethinks the organization of gatherings, focusing on intention,structure, and the dynamics of human interactions.


  • Poet & Artist

    NOVEMBER 2 - 9, 2024

    Ana Elisa Sotelo is a Peruvian poet and artist whose work explores human interactions with the natural world, a central theme in her creative approach. In 2016, her life was transformed by a spinal fracture, leading her to discover the healing power of traditional Amazonian medicine. Since then, she has focused on documenting the connections between natural and spiritual health, integrating this exploration into her artistic projects.

    An award-winning artist, Ana Elisa Sotelo notably won the prestigious International Women in Photo Award in 2021 for her project Las Truchas. Ana Elisa came to Paris to receive a Sustainability Prize by the Roederer Foundation. 

  • Writer and journalist

    APRIL 14 - MAY 12, 2025

    Michael Pollan is a celebrated author, journalist, filmmaker and activist, whose work explores the intersections of food, nature, and culture. His groundbreaking books, including The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food, have challenged modern food systems and introduced the iconic mantra: “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” In recent years, Pollan has turned his focus to the science of psychedelics and mental health, a journey captured in his book How to Change Your Mind, later adapted into a Netflix series. In Paris, he will present his work and research to a French audience less familiar with his ideas, helping start dialogues on (the future of) consciousness - the topic of his book to come. 

  • Writer, Director, Actor, Producer

    DECEMBER 10 - 17, 2024

    Werner Herzog is a German filmmaker, writer, and actor, whose bold, visionary storytelling has shaped modern cinema. Born in 1942 in Munich, he is known for pushing the boundaries of fiction and documentary, capturing the extremes of human nature, obsession, and the sublime. His cult classics, Aguirre, the Wrath of God and Fitzcarraldo, exemplify his daring approach and deep philosophical inquiry. A relentless explorer of the human condition, Herzog continues to provoke and inspire. In Paris, he attends a retrospective of his work at the Centre Pompidou and presents his new autobiography, Every Man for Himself, and God Against All: A Memoir.

  • Musician, singer

    NOVEMBER 11 - 24, 2024

    Anika (Annika Henderson) is an English musician, singer, and former political journalist known for her hypnotic voice and genre-defying sound. Blending post-punk, dub, and new wave, her music is raw, haunting, and unmistakably unique. She launched her career collaborating with Geoff Barrow of Portishead and the band BEAK>, leading to her acclaimed 2010 debut album, Anika. A fearless experimenter, she thrives on unconventional artistic collaborations. At Résidence Tallard, she joins forces with filmmaker Jim Jarmusch for a project that fuses music and cinema, pushing the boundaries of both forms.

  • Writer, activist, founder of the Schumacher College

    MARCH 26 - APRIL 7, 2026

    Satish Kumar (b. 1936) is a former Jain monk, pacifist, and nuclear disarmament campaigner, he now lives in England. He is the founder and program director of Schumacher College, an international center for ecological studies, and also serves as the editor emeritus of Resurgence & Ecologist magazine. His most remarkable achievement remains a peace march of over 13,000 kilometers, undertaken with E. P. Menon between 1962 and 1964, from New Delhi to Moscow, Paris, London, and Washington—the capitals of the world’s leading nuclear powers. He is a proponent of a “reverence for nature” at the heart of political and social debate. 


  • Writer, Economist, Philosopher, Musician

    SEPTEMBER 6  - NOVEMBER 5, 2025

    A writer, economist, and visionary thinker whose work reshapes contemporary African discourse, Sarr brings a multidisciplinary approach to economics, sociology, and philosophy, advocating for new narratives of African identity and cultural renewal. His seminal book, Afrotopia, imagines a future driven by self-determination and creative reinvention, while his co-authored report, Au cœur du monde, calls for a profound intellectual and artistic awakening. A professor at Gaston Berger University in Saint-Louis, Sarr is deeply engaged in cultural and social initiatives. He will be in Paris for a series of public conferences co-organized with Centre Pompidou and Festival d’Automne. 

  • Clinical psychologist, author, and meditation teacher

    May 4-14, 2026

    Jack Kornfield is a leading figure in contemporary contemplative thought, a clinical psychologist, and one of the pioneers of mindfulness meditation in the West. Trained in Buddhist traditions in Thailand, Burma, and India, he co-founded the Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock Meditation Center, two institutions that have shaped modern approaches to meditation and inner transformation. The author of widely influential books including A Path with Heart and After the Ecstasy, the Laundry, his work bridges spiritual practice, psychology, and ethical life, offering pathways toward compassion, healing, and collective well-being.

  • Politician, diplomat, and essayist

    2026, DATES TBC

    Radek Sikorski is a leading figure in European politics and diplomacy, widely recognized for his expertise in foreign policy, security, and transatlantic relations. A former Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of National Defence, he has played a central role in shaping Poland’s engagement with the European Union, NATO, and key international partners during periods of significant geopolitical change. He has been a consistent and influential voice on European security, relations with Russia, and democratic responses to authoritarian challenges. Beyond his roles in government, Sikorski is an engaged essayist and public intellectual who contributes regularly to international debates in leading global media and policy forums. 

  • Writer, Historian, and Journalist

    2026, DATES TBC

    Ann Applebaum is an award-winning journalist and historian, widely recognized for her work on authoritarianism, communism, and the contemporary threats to liberal democracy. A Pulitzer Prize winner, she is the author of influential books including Gulag and Twilight of Democracy, offering incisive analyses of authoritarian resurgence, disinformation, and democratic decline. Her work bridges history and political commentary, shaping global conversations about power, freedom, and civic responsibility. Through her clear, deeply researched writing, she helps strengthen democratic awareness and public understanding of today’s political crises.

  • Engineer, CEO of Center for Humane Technology

    DATES TBC 

    Barcay is the Executive Director of the Center for Humane Technology, where, alongside Tristan Harris, he examines the psychological, social, and political effects of digital platforms. A former member of Google X and a specialist in attention systems and design ethics, his work focuses on how technologies reshape our relational capacities, collective behaviors, and political imaginaries. His residency at Tallard will explore the links between social cohesion, attention, cognitive vulnerability, and algorithmic bias, opening an essential reflection on the conditions for non-manipulated coexistence in the age of AI.