Completely paralysed, and yet he wrote a book. Jean-Dominique Bauby did it, one blink at a time.
What to expect:
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a powerful film about the human mind. But this is not a normal film night! Wilco Peul, Professor and Head of Neurosurgery at LUMC, will introduce the film and connect Bauby’s story to the latest insights from modern neurosurgery.
About the film:
In late 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby, editor-in-chief of French fashion magazine Elle, suffers a massive stroke. He is left with movement in just one eyelid. A patient therapist devises a way to communicate with him: she reads out a specially ordered alphabet, starting with the most common letters in French, and Bauby blinks when she reaches the one he wants. That is how he writes a book, one letter at a time
Practical information
Date: Wednesday, July 01, 2026
Time: 21:30 – 23:50
Location: Het Kijkhuis, Leiden
Target audience: Everyone is welcome!
Cost: 13 euro’s per ticket
Get your tickets here!
