René Vautier

Biography

René Vautier, born January 15, 1928 in Camaret-sur-Mer (Finistère) and died January 4, 2015 in Cancale (Ille-et-Vilaine), is a French director and screenwriter, communist and anticolonialist, particularly known for his film Have twenty years in the Aurès.

Born to a factory worker father and a teacher mother, René Vautier carried out his first militant activity within the Resistance in Brittany in 1943, when he was fifteen years old, which earned him several decorations. He was decorated with the Croix de Guerre at the age of sixteen, responsible for the “youth” group of the René Madec clan, cited in the Order of the Nation by General Charles de Gaulle for acts of Resistance (1944). René Vautier joins the maquis in France then takes the IDHEC competition under the leadership of his comrades in combat. From then on, this fierce supporter of the Communist Party will never stop, camera in hand, campaigning in Algeria, Africa or Brittany in order to denounce the contradictions of the systems in place.

If he spoke about social struggles in France (Quand tu dit Valery), the condition of women (Quand les Femmes ont la anger) or Africa (Afrique 50), René Vautier is best known for his commitment against the abuses of the French army during the Algerian War. Thus, Being 20 years old in the Aurès represents one of his major works. His work, specifies the Arab HUFFINGTON POST, is today part of the historical heritage of Algeria, where he is considered a Mujahid, understand an independence fighter.

A rebellious and prolific filmmaker, René Vautier experienced the wrath of censorship on numerous occasions. Imprisonments, hunger strikes, but also numerous awards have regularly punctuated the career of this atypical activist artist.