Tribute to Jean Rouch on the Centenary of his birth

Screening of Moi, un noir and discussion with Pascale Féghali and Carlos Esbert

Jean Rouch, French filmmaker, ethnographer and anthropologist, is regarded as the father of “cinema verité”, earning himself pride of place in the history of documentary film and of La Nouvelle Vague.

“Through his participatory camera, Jean Rouch transformed every film experience into a life experience. He had that ability of people who know the mysteries of life and who can figure out each character's story in a look, in a smile.” Pascale Féghali (L’Orient-Le jour, 2004)

“For us his death is a sign of the path he's now planning to take. Africa, Niger, where he discovered the joy that comes with the adventure of filmmaking. An old car, a lost road, an invisible script, a story under construction with each encounter, with each friend invited to take part in always making the film a living experience, an untrappable form of filmmaking.” Carlos Esbert (Cabeza Borradora, no.3).

Extracts from articles written by Pascale Féghali and Carlos Esbert following Jean Rouch's death in 2004.

Pascale Féghali is an anthropologist and filmmaker. She studied the Sociology of Art at the Sorbonne, followed by Visual Anthropology at Paris Nanterre University, where she was taught by Jean Rouch. She teaches at Saint Joseph University in Beirut and is an Associate Researcher in Urban Anthropology at the CNRS (Centre National de Recherche Scientifique) in France.

Carlos Esbert is a filmmaker, researcher and teacher. He completed his film studies at Paris VIII University and then at the International Film and TV School in San Antonio de los Baños (Cuba). He is currently putting the final touches to his PhD thesis on Jean Rouch and the subject of ciné-trance. He is Director of the Master's in Creative Documentary and Experimental Film at TAI Madrid School of the Arts.