On-screen photographers:
our top 3 documentaries on photographers

Blog Post — Events, Trips and Activities

November 2020

On-screen photographers:
our top 3 documentaries on photographers

Through their lenses, photographers are true observers of their time. Here are our top pick among documentaries, which tells the story of three French photographers.

Robert Doisneau : Through the Lens

Robert Doisneau has photographed furtive and decisive moments, precisely “where there is nothing to see”. In addition to his street black&white photographs of a post-war Paris, Doisneau also carried out photographic reports, in the Renault factories or during the October Revolution. This documentary, directed by his granddaughter, Clémentine Deroudille, tells how he became one of the most renowned photographers in the world. Featuring interviews of his daughters, friends, and personalities who wrote about his work, the film draws an intimate portrait of the artist.

Available on Films Documentaires

Photograph of Robert_Doisneau_The Kiss of City Hall

The Kiss at the town hall, le baiser de l’Hotel de ville, Paris, 1950, Robert Doisneau

Robert Doisneau : Through the Lens

Robert Doisneau has photographed furtive and decisive moments, precisely “where there is nothing to see”. In addition to his street black&white photographs of a post-war Paris, Doisneau also carried out photographic reports, in the Renault factories or during the October Revolution. This documentary, directed by his granddaughter, Clémentine Deroudille, tells how he became one of the most renowned photographers in the world. Featuring interviews of his daughters, friends, and personalities who wrote about his work, the film draws an intimate portrait of the artist.

Available on Films Documentaires

The Kiss at the town hall, le baiser de l’Hotel de ville, Paris, 1950, Robert Doisneau

Looking for Gilles Caron

Gilles Caron was a brilliant photojournalist who covered the particularly dramatic period of the 1960’s for the biggest newspapers at the time – the Six Day War, the events of May 68, the Troubles in Northern Ireland and the Vietnam War. He was at the height of his career when he went missing in 1970 during a mission in Cambodge, at the age of 30. The documentary director, Mariana Otera, immersed herself in more than 100,000 shots of the photographer to retrace his dazzling destiny. A passionate journey.

Available on Arte boutique

Photograph of Gilles_Caron_6 Day War Israel 1967

The Six-Day War, Israël, 1967, Gilles Caron, Fondation Gilles Caron

Looking for Gilles Caron

Gilles Caron was a brilliant photojournalist who covered the particularly dramatic period of the 1960’s for the biggest newspapers at the time – the Six-Day War, the events of May 68, the Troubles in Northern Ireland and the Vietnam War. He was at the height of his career when he went missing in 1970 during a mission in Cambodge, at the age of 30. The documentary director, Mariana Otera, immersed herself in more than 100,000 shots of the photographer to retrace his dazzling destiny. A passionate journey.

Available on Arte boutique

The Six-Day War, Israël, 1967, Gilles Caron, Fondation Gilles Caron

Vincent Munier, the eternal amazement

Tintimate documentary directed by Pierre-Antoine Hiroz and Benoît Aymon is a portrait of French photographer Vincent Munier, an insatiable observer of nature. Born in Les Vosges, this explorer travels the world to search the most furtive animals and pay tribute to the beauty of nature. “The art of lurking is that nothing is guaranteed. It’s the promise of the invisible” explains the man who, on his 12th birthday, took his first picture of wildlife, after having waited several hours under a camouflage net in the middle of the forest. Vincent Munier also captures the fragility of this nature that keeps amazing him, and through his poetic portraits, invites us to preserve it.

Available on RTS

Snowy Owl hunting, Vincent Munier

Vincent Munier, the eternal amazement

Tintimate documentary directed by Pierre-Antoine Hiroz and Benoît Aymon is a portrait of French photographer Vincent Munier, an insatiable observer of nature. Born in Les Vosges, this explorer travels the world to search the most furtive animals and pay tribute to the beauty of nature. “The art of lurking is that nothing is guaranteed. It’s the promise of the invisible” explains the man who, on his 12th birthday, took his first picture of wildlife, after having waited several hours under a camouflage net in the middle of the forest. Vincent Munier also captures the fragility of this nature that keeps amazing him, and through his poetic portraits, invites us to preserve it.

Available on RTS

Snowy Owl hunting, Vincent Munier

Browse our Blog