French Director Jean-Pierre Thorn, Champion of Socially Engaged Cinema and Indie Film Pioneer, Dies at 78

French director Jean-Pierre Thorn, renowned for his socially engaged cinema and as a co-founder of the indie cinema organization l’ACID, has died unexpectedly at the age of 78. Born on January 24, 1947, in Paris, Thorn was widely celebrated for his commitment to giving pride back to workers and immigrants through his films, portraying their courageous struggles for rights and justice.

Thorn first gained recognition with his 1968 documentary Dare To Struggle, Dare To Win (Oser lutter, oser vaincre), which documented the historic strike at the Renault-Flins automobile factory during France’s turbulent 1968 social protests. This film remains a cornerstone of his legacy, both in France and internationally, for vividly capturing the unity between workers and students during that pivotal period.

In a 2023 interview, Thorn reflected on his motivation for the film, emphasizing his desire to show the workers’ perspective of the protests, beyond the more widely seen student barricades. Facing technical challenges like the lack of video and camera equipment during the film industry strike, Thorn and fellow young filmmakers pooled resources to complete the project on 16mm film.

Following this, Thorn immersed himself in factory life, working as a metal worker at the Alsthom transport vehicle factory in Saint-Ouen for eight years. This period inspired his 1973 medium-length film La Grève des ouvriers de Margoline, depicting industrial action by undocumented workers fighting poor conditions amid rising anti-immigrant rhetoric. His film Le Dos au mur similarly documented the struggles at the Alsthom plant.

Transitioning to fiction, Thorn’s 1990 film Je t’ai dans la peau premiered at Cannes’ Perspectives cinéma français. The film tells the story of a nun turned union and feminist activist, illustrating Thorn’s ongoing focus on social issues.

Thorn’s later work included the documentary On n’est pas des marques de vélo, chronicling the birth of the French Hip-hop movement and highlighting the experiences of a young French-Tunisian man facing expulsion.

As a passionate advocate for independent cinema, Thorn co-founded l’ACID (Association for the Diffusion of Independent Cinema). He was a key figure in the 1991 “Resister” manifesto supporting indie cinema, alongside notable filmmakers like Claudine Bories and Robert Guédiguian. Thorn presided over l’ACID from 1992 to 1995 and successfully negotiated with France’s National Cinema Centre (CNC) to establish the l’ACID sidebar at the Cannes Film Festival, which continues to champion independent films.

In a statement, l’ACID honored Thorn as “an anchor in the memory of past and future struggles,” highlighting his films’ role in promoting diversity, freedom, and autonomy in cinema.