Patrice Chagnard

France

Biography

At the age of 17, Patrice Chagnard ran the Grenoble Film Club, the biggest club in France in terms of members. He moved to Paris in 1965, where he studied Philosophy at the Sorbonne. He worked as a editor in chief at the magazines Témoignage Chrétien and Télé-Ciné and directed documentaries for TV. In 1969, he became a hippie and travelled the world for three years, getting to know countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistian and India. A defender of Liberation Theology, he became interested in the plights of the farmers in Brazil, Africa and Bangladesh. Since 1977, he’s dedicated himself to directing documentaries, first for TV and then later for cinema, beginning with Le convoi (1995). He was president at Addoc, a group that brings together French documentarists. In 2010 he receives Doc Alliance Award for feature lenght documentary The Arrivals.

Filmography:

Le convoi (88´, France, 1999)
Les arrivants/ The Arrivals (113´, France, 2009)

Comments

View comments

Add comment

The Arrivals

Les Arrivants (Orig.) / 2009 / France / 111 min

Everyday routine in a centre for asylum seeking families in Paris. Social workers and new arrivals on the edge of a nervous breakdown...

Detail…

News

Single Shot Indonesia

For more than 10 years, Dutch director Leonard Retel Helmrich has been returning to the homeland of his parents to observe and record the transformation of Indonesia in the turbulent years of economic and cultural globalization. The Dafilms portal presents all of the three parts of his famous documentary trilogy, including the latest film Position among the Stars. On the backdrop of the tension in Indonesian society, Helmrich’s camera follows the Sjamsuddin family living their daily lives of work and worries, mutual love and hatred. In the week from May 21, you can watch the first two parts of the trilogy; The Eye of the Day and Shape of the Moon; for free.

Eastern Promises

This week the Dafilms portal presents a considerable portion of European “exoticism”. Take a trip through the unique landscape of the Balkans with three remarkable documentaries. Although the protagonists of The Shutka Book of Records, The Mosquito Problem and Bahtalo! are rather poor, do not expect a heavy social drama. One can only live merrily without money! From May 14, you can watch the three films for free for a whole week.

True Stories from Russia

Watch or download films about true life in Russia: Kommunalka (free on May 7 and May 8!), Durakovo – the Village of Fools and Mr. Triska's Epoch Making Trip to Russia.