Roger Leenhardt

Roger Leenhardt (23 July 1903 – 4 December 1985) was a prominent French writer and filmmaker whose contributions greatly impacted cinema and film criticism in France. Raised in a bourgeois Protestant family, Leenhardt developed a keen interest in philosophy and film from a young age. His career began at the Éclair Journal newsreel, and in 1934, he co-founded his own production company, originally called "Les Films du Compas" with René Zuber, and later rebranded as "Roger Leenhardt Films."

As a film critic for the influential journal Esprit, he emerged as a key voice in pre-war France, shaping the views of notable figures like André Bazin and the subsequent New Wave movement. His series "La petite école du spectateur" played a pivotal role in establishing cinema as a legitimate art form. Leenhardt also contributed to other esteemed publications, such as Fontaine and Les Lettres Françaises, famously advocating for filmmakers like William Wyler over John Ford in 1948.

In 1949, he co-founded the cinema club Objectif 49 alongside Robert Bresson and Jean Cocteau, promoting the auteur cinema movement, which eventually led to the establishment of the Festival of Cursed Films in Biarritz. During the 1950s, he led the French Association for the Promotion of Cinema, organizing the traveling festival Cinéma Days. He was also instrumental in creating the International Days of Film in Tours, a festival highlighting short films and featuring renowned directors such as François Truffaut and Agnès Varda.

Leenhardt's oeuvre includes over 60 short films, primarily focusing on portraits of distinguished writers and painters, as well as documentaries like "Daguerre ou la Naissance de la photographie" (1964) and "Naissance du cinéma" (1946). He directed three feature-length films: "Les Dernières Vacances" (1948), "Le Rendez-vous de min