Marcel Trillat (4 April 1940 – 18 September 2020) was a French journalist and documentary filmmaker. A communist, he directed many documentaries about the living conditions of workers, women and immigrants in France. He also did documentaries about French government's response to the
Algerian War
The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...
and the
Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
and religious cults and public hospitals. He co-directed a documentary with
Maurice Failevic
Maurice Failevic (14 August 1933 – 27 December 2016) was a French film director. A communist, he directed 50+ films about class struggles, depicting the lives of members of the French working class, from peasants during the French Revolution to ...
, about the history of communism in France.
Early life
Marcel Trillat was born on 4 April 1940 in
Seyssinet-Pariset
Seyssinet-Pariset () is a Communes of France, commune in the Isère Departments of France, department in southeastern France. It is part of the Grenoble urban unit (agglomeration).
Population
Sights
La tour Sans venin located in the hamlet of P ...
Isère
Isère ( , ; frp, Isera; oc, Isèra, ) is a landlocked department in the southeastern French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019. He grew up on a farm, and his parents were farmers. He joined the
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party (french: Parti communiste français, ''PCF'' ; ) is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its MEPs sit in the European Unit ...
at the age of 16, until 1987. He attended a
normal school
A normal school or normal college is an institution created to Teacher education, train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high s ...
to become a schoolteacher.
Career
Trillat began his career in television as an intern at the
Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française
L'Office de Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française (ORTF; ) was the national agency charged, between 1964 and 1975, with providing public radio and television in France. All programming, and especially news broadcasts, were under strict control ...
in 1965. He first worked on a program called ''Cinq colonnes à la une''. He was fired for his politics in 1968. He subsequently joined SCOPCOLOR (production cooperative) and UNICITE (film producer of PCF) as well as the General Confederation of Labour. Meanwhile, he worked for Radio Lorraine Coeur d'Acier, an independent radio station created by the CGT in
Longwy
Longwy (; older german: Langich, ; lb, label=Luxemburgish, Lonkech) is a commune in the French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle, Lorraine, administrative region of Grand Est, northeastern France.
The inhabitants are known as ''Longoviciens''.
...
,
Meurthe-et-Moselle
Meurthe-et-Moselle () is a department in the Grand Est region of France, named after the rivers Meurthe and Moselle. It had a population of 733,760 in 2019. He returned to public broadcasting in 1981, as journalist, manager, foreign correspondant or deputy director of the newscast on Antenne 2, later known as
France 2
France 2 () is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4 and France 5. France Télévisions also participates in Arte and Euronews.
Since 3:20 CET on 7 ...
, until 2006. He also served on the board of directors of
France Télévisions
France Télévisions (; stylized since 2018 as ) is the French national public television broadcaster. It is a state-owned company formed from the integration of the public television channels France 2 (formerly Antenne 2) and France 3 (former ...
as union representative (CGT) from 2001 to 2006.
Trillat directed one of his first documentary, ''Étranges étrangers'', in 1970. It showed the living conditions of Portuguese and African immigrants in
Aubervilliers
Aubervilliers () is a commune in the Seine-Saint-Denis department, Île-de-France region, northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Albertivillariens'' or ''Albertivillariennes''.
Geography
Localisati ...
and
Nanterre
Nanterre (, ) is the prefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department in the western suburbs of Paris. It is located some northwest of the centre of Paris. In 2018, the commune had a population of 96,807.
The eastern part of Nanterre, bordering t ...
. In 1981, he directed a report about the
Paris massacre of 1961
The Paris massacre of 1961 occurred on 17 October 1961, during the Algerian War (1954–62). Under orders from the head of the Parisian police, Maurice Papon, the French National Police attacked a demonstration by 30,000 pro- National Liberation ...
. A decade later, in 1991, he directed a report as correspondant about the
Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
, where he said on live television that the footage of the war was restricted by the United States and France. In 1994, he directed ''Travailleurs fantômes''. With Éric Delagneau, he directed ''Témoins de Jehovah : demain l'Apocalypse'', a documentary which describes the
Jehovah's Witness
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ev ...
as a cult, in 1998. He also directed ''Les Enfants de la dalle'', a documentary about children who grew up in
Corbeil-Essonnes
Corbeil-Essonnes () on the River Seine is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.
Although neighboring Évry is the official seat of the Arrondissement of Évry, the sub-prefecture building ...
, in 1998.
In 2001, Trillat directed ''Les Prolos'', a documentary about the French
working class
The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...
in the 21st century, and ''300 jours de colère'', another documentary about the factory workers of the Mossley Group in
Hellemmes-Lille
Hellemmes ( nl, Hellem) is a former commune in the Nord department in northern France, since 1977 an associated part of Lille.bargain collectively
Collective bargaining is a process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees aimed at agreements to regulate working salaries, working conditions, benefits, and other aspects of workers' compensation and rights for workers. The i ...
for
severance package
A severance package is pay and benefits that employees may be entitled to receive when they leave employment at a company unwillfully. In addition to their remaining regular pay, it may include some of the following:
* Any additional payment base ...
s. In 2003, he directed ''SOS hôpital, 24 heures dans la vie d'un hosto'', a documentary about the poor state of French public hospitals. In 2005, he directed ''Femmes précaires'', a documentary about women trapped in
precarious work
Precarious work is a term that critics use to describe non-standard or temporary employment that may be poorly paid, insecure, unprotected, and unable to support a household. From this perspective, globalization, the shift from the manufacturing se ...
. In 2007, he directed ''Silence dans la vallée'', a documentary about workers in
Nouzonville
Nouzonville () is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Ardennes department
The following is a list of the 449 communes of the Ardennes department of France.
The communes cooper ...
,
Ardennes
The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...
who lose their jobs when their jobs are outsourced overseas. In 2010, he co-directed a documentary with Maurice Failevic called ''L'Atlantide, une histoire du communisme'', it chronicled the history of communism in France. In 2013, he directed a documentary about the trials and tribulations of undocumented immigrants in Paris.
Trillat openly supported the Left Front in 2011. In 2015, he signed a petition to maintain the right to protest in spite of the
state of emergency
A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...
.
Trillat died 18 September 2020 in Paris, aged 80.