Jean Rouch

93 films · 1947 to 2002
Born 31 May 1917, Paris, France · Died 18 February 2004

Jean Rouch was a French filmmaker and anthropologist. He is considered one of the founders of cinéma vérité in France. Rouch's practice as a filmmaker, for over 60 years in Africa, was characterized by the idea of shared anthropology. Influenced by his discovery of surrealism in his early twenties, many of his films blur the line between fiction and documentary, creating a new style: ethnofiction. The French New Wave filmmakers hailed Rouch as one of their own. Commenting on Rouch's work as someone "in charge of research for the Musée de l'Homme" in Paris, Godard said, “Is there a better definition for a filmmaker?".

Biography adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.

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Jean Rouch

Photo: Lusouser, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.

Defining films

Critical context

b. 31 May, 1917, Paris, France

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