Advocates in action: Laurane Fréour and Lorenzo Pengue in search of the “Darkest Skies”
Welcome to Advocates in Action! In this series, we interview DarkSky Advocates around the world and explore their experiences, perspectives, and passions that inspire their advocacy.
In this feature, we meet Laurane Fréour and Lorenzo Pengue, director and filmmaker of The Darkest Sky, an upcoming documentary exploring dark skies from the Atacama Desert to Patagonia.
Q: Hi! We’re so excited to chat with you today, thanks for taking the time! We’re really so excited about your presentation at Under One Sky this year! Tell us a little bit about what you will be presenting and why people should come and attend your session?
Lorenzo & Laurane: Hi! Thank you very much for your questions; we’re really happy to talk about The Darkest Sky! It is a documentary following a 5,000km bike journey from the Atacama Desert to Patagonia, where we will search for the darkest skies. On our way, we will meet with communities, astronomers, and individuals committed to protecting the night sky. Through their stories, we want to show what we stand to lose as truly dark skies become increasingly threatened by light pollution and the rapid growth of satellite constellations. The Darkest Sky is an ode to reconnecting with nature, and with one another beneath starry skies. It won’t be a traditional reportage-style documentary. Instead, we want to conduct the interviews and meetings with people as spontaneously as possible, while sharing a sustainable way to travel by bike. The movie will be at the crossroads between sport adventure, science, and sustainability.
Q: We love a good origin story. What got you interested in astronomy and the night?
Laurane: My first memory of the night sky dates back to when I was 8, on Reunion Island, where I grew up. I spent a week in a summer camp, and we went to an observatory on top of a mountain. I remember so clearly the beauty of the night sky, and we got lucky enough to see Jupiter and Saturn in a telescope. At this moment, I knew I wanted to become an astrophysicist. My interest in dark skies actually came much later. My family now lives in France, in the countryside close to the Ocean. We used to be far away from light pollution and had really beautiful night skies. Every August, around the Perseid meteor shower, we gather together in the garden and watch the shooting stars. However, lately, there is a light pollution halo coming from one of the city tens of kilometers away. We’ve also noticed so many satellites polluting the night sky while stargazing. I felt really eco-anxious in a way. So I wanted to take action through this documentary.
Lorenzo: The most memorable night I ever had was under an incredible night sky, on top of a mountain with Laurane. Since then, I’ve always been in search of the darkest places to be able to observe the stars. For me, this became an obsession and a mission that I want to carry out with this project. Taking the camera and embracing this incredible adventure is a natural way for me to pursue this mission.
Q: Tell us more about your work on The Darkest Sky, and how it relates to dark sky conservation?
Laurane: As an astrophysicist, I have a very special bond with the night sky. In The Darkest Sky, I’ll be in charge of the direction, scientific content, and storytelling. For me, this project is a way to leave my laptop behind and connect with what I’ve been working on for years. I know the universe is full of wonderful objects and secrets, and I want to help share these secrets with the general public, to ensure future generations can enjoy night skies as beautiful as ours.
Lorenzo: Our film is a quest to reconnect people with the dark sky and the beauty often hidden behind light pollution. Everyone often forgets why it is so important for humans to be able to contemplate the starry sky. My work as a filmmaker with The Darkest Sky is to transcend the virtual barrier imposed by the camera and visually connect people with the images.
Q: What are you looking forward to most about your journey for The Darkest Sky?
Laurane: The night sky from the Atacama Desert! I think this is going to be a breathtaking moment. I’m also looking forward to whatever the journey brings, the spontaneous encounters with other travelers, the surprises, the pain and sweat from biking. I’m always looking to go outside my comfort zone, as I believe it’s the best way to learn about ourselves. This trip, this movie will definitely be completely outside this comfort zone, and I’m excited about learning.
Lorenzo: I am looking forward to meeting many people along the way who have stories to share with us, bringing something very emotional and intense to our journey. Of course, I can’t wait to see all those amazing landscapes that are waiting for us, but what I like most about bike travel is really meeting people and hearing their stories.
Q: Could you tell us a bit more about your plan for making the film? How long have you been preparing for this?
Lorenzo & Laurane: The film will be integrated into the frame of the bike journey. Every day, our cameras will capture every moment of the day. We will follow a narration divided into chapters; each chapter corresponds to a different emotional challenge, landscape and scenario, following a chronological order from Atacama to Patagonia. We had the idea to make a movie about stars and adventure a couple of years ago. This idea of biking 5,000km in search of the darkest skies was truly born a few months ago. Everything happened really fast, and the inspiration came naturally as we were brainstorming on the story we want to
share. We’ve also been training physically. This part was harder to fit into our schedule. We’ve divided them into blocks of a few days, either biking or hiking with heavy loads. It’s been great and challenging!
Q: What is your favorite part about the night?
Laurane: My favorite part is the waiting time: waiting to see the stars popping up one after the other, waiting to see the Milky Way finally arising, waiting to see a planet. Usually, I’m not a patient person, and this waiting time sometimes feels like meditating. You don’t have to do anything more than wait for beautiful objects to come into your sight.
Lorenzo: For me, it’s definitely the astronomical twilight. It brings such emotion to witness the beginning of this incredible celestial concert in the sky, while adding amazing depth to the shots and pictures. When the Milky Way appears, seeing it with my bare eyes is always a
powerful emotion.
You can follow our adventure through our newsletter (https://thedarkestskyfilm.com/newsletter/) or on our Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/thedarkestsky_film/)
We’re really happy to count on the community support from DarkSky in this adventure.
Thank you for all your work and commitment to protecting the night!
A big thanks to Laurane and Lorenzo for chatting with us! Don’t miss them at Under One Sky this November 2026! Check out conference.darksky.org to learn more and register.
If you’d like to connect with Laurane and Lorenzo, you can reach out via the following links:
