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Jean Rouch was born in Paris on 31 May 1917. He found his way to film through science, which captured his interest during childhood. His father was a manager of the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco. Jean Rouch obtained a PhD in philosophy, a diploma in civil engineering, and a degree in ethnography. In 1941 he began to make scientific expeditions to Nigeria and Senegal. His first big scientific achievement came in 1946, when he undertook a dangerous raft journey down the Niger river. Soon after, he began making his first films using a 16 mm camera in Niger, Sudan, and Ghana. Many of his earlier films were discovered at smaller film festivals. His first major ethnographic films, such as Initiation into Possession Dance (1948) or Circumcision (1948) received several prestigious awards. In 1952, Rouch's ethnographic films were positively received by critics and also gained commercial success. Among the best examples of his work during this period are I, a Black (1957) and The Human Pyramid (1958), both of which introduce an element of psychodrama into the documentary style. It is therefore possible to see Rouch as a vanguard of certain new aesthetic tendencies. In his search for the possibilities of improvisation he went farthest in Chronicle of a Summer (1960), which he made together with sociologist Edgar Morin. This film is held as a manifesto of cinéma vérité. Among other key work belong Hunting the Lion With Bow and Arrow (1958-1965) which was awarded a Golden Lion at the Venice festival; Little by Little (1969), overturning the traditional narrative scheme in the story of several Nigerians who are discovering Paris; and Cockadoodledoo, Mr. Chicken (1974), an experimental story of three friends who transport poultry. The peak of his personal career are the years 1987-1991, when he served as head of the French Film Library. During his long and active life he filmed around 120 films. Jean Rouch died tragically on 18 February 2004 while attending a film festival in Niger. He was 86 years old.
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