Jean-Michel Carré

JeanMichel Carré born July 26 1948 in Paris is a French film director documentary filmmaker cinematographer film producer and screenwriter Coming from a modest background he first studied medicine before turning to filmmaking a passion he cultivated since his adolescence He attended IDHEC now La Fémis where he earned degrees in filmmaking and directing From the very beginning Carré was committed to militant and activist filmmaking In 1968 he made a documentary on Cuba which was banned from broadcast marking the beginning of his commitment to denouncing social and political injustices In 1974 he cofounded the first censored film festival affirming his desire to bring about social change through his works He founded the production company Les Films Grain de Sable dedicated to criticizing social institutions and systems His filmography is rich and varied including documentaries and fiction films that address themes such as working conditions human rights and social struggles Among his notable works are The Putin System 2007 I Have a Very Bad Day at Work 2007 and Sex Workers 2010 Carré is also known for his immersive approach to documentaries For example for Burning Coals 2000 he spent a year with miners in Wales to capture their reality with authenticity His work has received numerous awards including the FIGRA Grand Jury Prize for Kursk A Submarine in Troubled Waters 2004 His commitment is not limited to cinema as he has also explored international issues such as apartheid conflicts in the Middle East and transformations in China In 2013 he spoke of his libertarian Maoist past a contradiction he accepts to explain his interest in complex and nuanced subjects