Georges Rouquier(1909-1989)

Georges Rouquier is understood as the successor to the Robert Flaherty tradition of documentary filmmaking, but also, because of the context in which his first feature was released, as a champion of a specifically French Neo Realism which pointed ahead toward the New Wave a decade later.Coming to Paris from the rural provinces, and getting a job as a linotypist, he spent much of his free time frequenting several movie theatres where silent classics by the great Russian and Swedish directors were shown.Returning to his roots to film the farming seasons in the mid 194os,his feature caused controversy at the Cannes festival but was appreciated by others around the same time that Italian films were also trying to find the truth by using real locations and some non-professional players, so his work was picked up for US distribution.But most of his career was devoted to short subjects which sometimes used reconstructions or fictional techniques to trace traditions of artisans and workers and several heroic figures such as Pasteur.His influence can be seen in current movie makers like Nicolas Philibert or the Dardenne brothers.In 2009, the French Cinematheque honored him with a retrospective.