“Cinema in the Age of Decolonization: Activism and Aesthetics”
An Homage to René Vautier (1928-2015)
The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences invites you to a weeklong (January 18-22, 2016) meditation on the theme “Cinema in the Age of Decolonization: Activism and Aesthetics” to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the passing of René Vautier (January 4, 2015), France’s first and most important anti-colonialist filmmaker who was also arguably one of the most censored film directors in the history of cinema. This series of events will involve the very first Canadian retrospective of the cinema of René Vautier, featuring four of his most important films, Afrique 50 (1950), Le Glas (1969/70), Frontline (1976) and Avoir Vingt Ans dans les Aurès (1972), along with Salut et Fraternité (2015), a recent documentary exploring the significance and resonance of his work. The retrospective will be opened by a public lecture on “The Cinema of René Vautier,” by FASS Visiting Scholar Dr. Nicole Brenez, Professor of Film Studies at Université de Paris III-Sorbonne Nouvelle and Programmer at the Cinémathèque Française. Dr. Brenez will also introduce the screenings throughout the week.
Full details are available on the Homage to René Vautier webpage.