Raymond Depardon (French: [ʁɛmɔ̃ dəpaʁdɔ̃]; born 6 July 1942) is a French photographer, photojournalist and documentary filmmaker.
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Early life
Depardon was born in Villefranche-sur-Saône, France.
Photographer
Depardon is a mainly self-taught photographer, as he began taking pictures on his family's farm when he was 12. He apprenticed with a photographer-optician in Villefranche-sur-Saône before he moved to Paris in 1958. He began his career as a photojournalist in the early 1960s. He travelled to conflict zones including Algeria, Vietnam, Biafra and Chad. In 1966, Depardon co-founded the photojournalism agency Gamma. In 1973 he became Gamma's director. From 1975 to 1977, Depardon traveled in Chad. The following year, he left Gamma to become a Magnum Photos associate, then a full member in 1979. In the 1990s, Depardon returned to his parents' farm to photograph rural landscapes in color and, in 1996, published a black and white road journal, In Africa.
In May 2012, he took the official portrait of French President François Hollande.
Director
Depardon is also the author of several documentary shorts and feature films. His approach as a director is influenced by cinéma vérité and direct cinema. In 1969 he made his first film (about Jan Palach) and he has directed 16 films since then. In 1984 Depardon made his first fiction film, Empty Quarters. Other notable examples include 1974, une partie de campagne, on the 1974 presidential campaign of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, Reporters (1981) and New York, N.Y. (1986), La captive du désert (1990) and Caught in the Acts (Délits flagrants) (1994).
Publications
Beyrouth, Centre Ville: inédit. Points. ISBN 978-2757819777
Paysans. Contemporary French Fiction. ISBN 978-2757815649
San Clemente. Diffusion Weber, 1984. ISBN 978-2867540196
En Afrique = In Africa. Steidl, 1996. ISBN 978-2020260947
Errance. Steidl, 2000. ISBN 978-2020386876
Le Tour Du Monde En 14 Jours. 7 Escales, 1 Visa. 2008. ISBN 978-2757811382
La terre des paysans. Steidl, 2008. ISBN 978-2020976312
Manhattan Out. Steidl Photography International, 2009. ISBN 978-3865217042
Native Land. Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris. 2009. ISBN 978-0500976883
La France de Raymond Depardon. Steidl, 2010. ISBN 978-2021009941
Repérages. Steidl, 2012. ISBN 978-2021090604
Berlin. Steidl, 2014. ISBN 978-2021140941
Adieu Saigon. Steidl, 2015. ISBN 978-3869309224
Glasgow. Steidl, 2016. ISBN 978-2021303629
La Solitude Heureuse Du Voyageur: Précédé De Notes. Points, 2017. ISBN 978-2757867631
Bolivia. Thames & Hudson, 2018. ISBN 978-2869251304
Filmography
Venezuela (1963)
Israel (1967)
Biafra (1968)
Jan Palach (1969/I)
Tchad 1: L'embuscade (1970)
Yemen: Arabie heureuse (1973)
1974, une partie de campagne (1974)
Tchad 2 (1975)
Tibesti Too (1976)
Tchad 3 (1976)
Dix minutes de silence pour John Lennon (1980)
Numéros zéros (1980)
Reporters (1981)
Piparsod (1982/I)
San Clemente (1982)
News Items (1983) (French: Faits divers)
Les Années déclic (1984)
Empty Quarter (Une femme en Afrique) (1985)
New York, N.Y. (1986)
Urgences (1988)
Le Petit Navire (1988) – short film
Une histoire très simple (1989)
Contacts (1990)
Captive of the Desert (French: La captive du désert (1990)
Awards for films
1979: George Sadoul Prize for Numéro Zéro
Winner, César Award for best short documentary for Reporters (1981)
Winner, César Award for best short documentary for New York, N.Y. (1986)
La captive du désert (1990) was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival,
Winner, best feature documentary at the César Awards for Caught in the Acts (Délits flagrants) (1994)
Joris Ivens award, Caught in the Acts (Délits flagrants) (1994) the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam
Caught in the Acts (Délits flagrants) (1994) Vancouver International Film Festival
2000: Dragon of Dragons, a lifetime achievement award, Kraków Film Festival
