René Vautier (; 15 January 1928 – 4 January 2015) was a French film director. His films, which were often controversial with French authorities, addressed many issues, such as the

Algerian War The Algerian War (also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence) ''; '' (and sometimes in Algeria as the ''War of 1 November'') was an armed conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front (Algeri ...

, French colonialism in Africa, pollution, racism, women's rights, and

apartheid in South Africa Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

. Many were banned or condemned, and one caused him to go to prison for a year.

Early life

He was born on 15 January 1928 in

Camaret-sur-Mer Camaret-sur-Mer (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department in northwestern France, located at the end of Crozon peninsula. Sights Camaret-sur-Mer is home to the '' Tour Vauban'' or ''Tour dorée'' (lit. "Golden Tower"), a historic fortifi ...

Finistère Finistère (, ; ) is a Departments of France, department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. Its prefecture is Quimper and its largest city is Brest, France, Brest. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090. He joined the

French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...

during World War II at the age of 15 and later received the

Croix de guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

and the Order of the Nation from

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...

for his militant activity. He then joined the

French Communist Party The French Communist Party (, , PCF) is a Communism, communist list of political parties in France, party in France. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its Member of the European Parliament, MEPs sit with The Left in the ...

and studied film-making at the

Institut des hautes études cinématographiques The Institut des hautes études cinématographiques (IDHEC; "Institute for Advanced Cinematographic Studies") is a French film school, founded during World War II under the leadership of Marcel L'Herbier who was its president from 1944 to 1969. ID ...

, where he graduated in 1948.

Career

''Afrique 50''

Vautier made his first film, ''Afrique 50'', in 1950, when he was 21. He was assigned to visit

French West Africa French West Africa (, ) was a federation of eight French colonial empires#Second French colonial empire, French colonial territories in West Africa: Colonial Mauritania, Mauritania, French Senegal, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guin ...

and make an educational film, but he was appalled by the conditions he witnessed, including lack of doctors and

crimes In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Can ...

committed by the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

. The resulting film was confiscated by police using legislation decreed by

Pierre Laval Pierre Jean Marie Laval (; 28 June 1883 – 15 October 1945) was a French politician. He served as Prime Minister of France three times: 1931–1932 and 1935–1936 during the Third Republic (France), Third Republic, and 1942–1944 during Vich ...

, but Vautier managed to recover enough footage to publish the 17-minute film in 1950. It was hailed as the first

anti-colonial Decolonization is the undoing of colonialism, the latter being the process whereby imperial nations establish and dominate foreign territories, often overseas. The meanings and applications of the term are disputed. Some scholars of decolon ...

French film. He was indicted thirteen times for it and sentenced to a year in prison. The documentary was banned for forty years.

Later works

He worked with

Louis Malle Louis Marie Malle (; 30 October 1932 – 23 November 1995) was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in both French cinema and Hollywood. Described as "eclectic" and "a filmmaker difficult to pin down", Malle made document ...

to make '' Humain, trop humain'' in 1973, a film about conditions in a

Citroën Citroën ()The double-dot diacritic over the 'e' is a diaeresis () indicating the two vowels are sounded separately, and not as a diphthong. is a French automobile brand. The "Automobiles Citroën" manufacturing company was founded on 4 June 19 ...

car plant. Vautier directed '' Peuple en marche'', which gives the history of the National Liberation Army and the

, in 1963. Another Algerian War film, ''

Avoir 20 ans dans les Aurès ''Avoir 20 ans dans les Aurès'' (English: To Be Twenty in the Aures) is a 1972 film. Synopsis A group of young pacifists from Brittany is taken to a camp destined to deserters. They end up by accepting the increasing violence with which they a ...

'' (1972), won the

International Federation of Film Critics The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for ''Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique'') is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the worl ...

Award at the

1972 Cannes Film Festival The 25th annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 4 to 19 May 1972. American filmmaker Joseph Losey served as jury president for the main competition. The ''Grand Prix du Festival International du Film'', then the fetival's main prize, was un ...

. He made over 180 films, many of them destroyed by the

French government The Government of France (, ), officially the Government of the French Republic (, ), exercises Executive (government), executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister of France, prime minister, who is the head of government, ...

. Several of Vautier's other films were presented at Cannes, including ''Mourir pour des images'', ''Comment on devient un ennemi de l'intérieur'', ''Les trois cousins'', and ''Vacances tunisiennes''. In January 1973, he went on

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...

to protest

film censorship Film censorship is the censorship of motion pictures, either through the excising of certain frames or scenes, or outright banning of films in their entirety. Film censorship typically occurs as a result of political or moral objections to a fi ...

. He received the Order of the Ermine in 2000. On 4 January 2015, he died at a hospital in

Cancale Cancale (; ; Gallo: ''Cauncall'') is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France. It is known as the birthplace of Saint Jeanne Jugan. Population Inhabitants of Cancale are called ''Cancalais'' in French. ...

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

Filmography

Capitalism *''Un Homme est Mort'', film about the death of the worker Édouard Mazé, during the manifestations and strikes in Brest (Bretagne, France) during March-April 1950. The title is taken from one of Paul Éluard's poem in Au rendez-vous allemand (1944). *''Anneaux d'or'', with Claudia Cardinale in her first act, one of his rare fiction movie, which got the Silver Bear at the festival of West-Berlin in 1956. *'' Humain, trop humain'' (1973) in collaboration with Louis Malle. *"Classe de lutte" (1969) in collaboration with the workers of Medvedkine Group and Chris Marker. *"Transmission d'expérience ouvrière" (1973) *"Quand tu disais Valéry", (1975) the movie follows a long strike of the caravane factory Caravelair at Trignac, best French movie at the festival of Rotterdam. Colonisation, especially in Algeria *''Une nation, l'Algérie'', (1954) one of the copy is destroyed, the second disappeared. After the revolution of 1 November 1954, the movie narrates the true story of Algeria's conquest by France. René Vautier is prosecuted for interfering with the internal security of the state for a sentence in the film: "Algeria will be independent anyway". *'' Afrique 50'' (1956) René Vautier's first movie released and first French anti-colonilisation movie *'' Algérie en flammes'' (1958) *'' Un Peuple en marche'' (1963) a movie about the transition between the Algerian war of independence and the reconstruction of the country. *''

'' (1972) with Alexandre Arcady, Yves Branellec, Philippe Léotard. Receive the International Critics Prize at Cannes festival in 1972. http://www.avoir20ansdanslesaures.net/wp/ *''Déja le sang de mai ensemençait novembre'' (1982) *"Le cinema des premiers pas" made in Algeria in 1985 and about his participation in the cinematographic activity in an independent Algeria. Racism in France *''Les trois cousins'' (1970) drama fiction about the living conditions of three Algerian cousins looking for a job in France. Award for the best Human right movie in Strasbourg. *''Les Ajoncs'' (1971) *''Le Remords'' (1974) *''Vous avez dit : français ?'' (1986), Reflection around the notion of French citizenship and French history of immigration. South-African Apartheid *''Le Glas'' (1964) *''Frontline'' (1976) made with Oliver Tambo and co-produced with the National African Congress. Environment *''Marée noire, colère rouge'' (1978), best documentary worldwide at 1978 Rotterdam Film Festival. *''Mission pacifique'' (1988), documentary with witnesses of atomic explosions in the Pacific Ocean and sinking of Greenpeace boat Rainbow Warrior. *''Hirochirac'' (1995), about the involvement of

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pari ...

with nuclear tests. Extreme-Right politics in France *''À propos de… l'autre détail'' (1984), Documentary about people that have been tortured during the Algerian War of Independence by

Jean-Marie Le Pen Jean Louis Marie Le Pen (20 June 1928 – 7 January 2025), commonly known as Jean-Marie Le Pen (), was a French politician, lawyer and activist. He founded the far-right National Front (now National Rally) party and served as the party's presi ...

. *''Châteaubriant, mémoire vivante'' (1985) Feminism *''Quand les femmes ont pris la colère'' (1977), in collaboration with Soazig Chappedelaine. Bretagne *''Mourir pour des images'' (1971) *''La Folle de Toujane'' (1974), fiction, in collaboration with Nicole Le Garrec. *''Le Poisson commande'' (1976), Oscar of the best movie about the Sea. *''Vacances en Giscardie'' (1980) *''Histoires d'images, Images d'Histoire'' (2014), documentary, in collaboration with Moïra Chappedelaine.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vautier, Rene 1928 births 2015 deaths People from Finistère French film directors French documentary filmmakers French people of the Algerian War French Resistance members Institut des hautes études cinématographiques alumni