Jean-Pierre Thorn Dies: French ‘Dare To Struggle, Dare To Win' Director & ACID Org Co-Founder Was 78
French media reported that Thorn, who was born in January 24, 1947, in Paris, died unexpectedly on July 5. The director and activist was celebrated for his work 'giving pride back to workers and immigrants' as he captured them standing up for their rights.
More from Deadline
2025 Deaths Photo Gallery: Hollywood & Media Obituaries
2024 Hollywood & Media Deaths: Photo Gallery & Obituaries
Ted Cordes Dies: Longtime Head Of NBC's Broadcast Standards Was 87
Thorn first made his name as a director with the 1968 documentary Dare To Struggle, Dare To Win (Oser lutter, oser vaincre).
Capturing a historic strike at the Renault-Flins automobile factory during France's 1968 social protests which saw workers and students unite, it remains one of his best known works at home and internationally to this day.
Reminiscing about the making of the film in an interview with the Les Mutins de Pangée audiovisual cooperative in 2023, Thorn said he had felt compelled to capture the workers' side of the protests.
'I said myself we need to have images of the workers' movement. I felt that the barricades in the Latin Quarter weren't enough… it was so extraordinary… ten million strikers, that's huge,' he recounted. 'I became obsessed with the idea of getting inside a factory.'
'There was no video. We shot on 16mm. The challenge was finding cameras and film,' he recalled, noting that the film world was also on strike during this period.
'A group of young cineastes got together to do 'an active strike'… we were around a 100… loosely connected by the fact that we were close to Chris Marker and his work on Far From Vietnam. We pooled our cameras and film and that's how I got started.'
Thorn would go on to take a job as a metal worker at the Alsthom transport vehicle factory in the outer Paris suburb of Saint-Ouen, staying there for eight years.
During this time, he made the 1973 medium-length film La Grève des ouvriers de Margoline, which translates as 'the Margoline workers' strike', about industrial action by undocumented workers against poor conditions, sparked by a rise in right-wing rhetoric against migrants, as well as Le Dos au mur, capturing industrial action at the Alsthom plant.
Thorn branched into fiction in 1990 with Je t'ai dans la peau, starring Solveig Dommartin as a nun who falls in love with a priest and then becomes a union and feminist activist. It premiered in Cannes' now defunct Perspectives cinéma français sidebar.
Later credits included the documentary On n'est pas des marques de vélo, which translates as 'we're not makes of bicycle', capturing the birth of the French Hip-hop movement through the case of a young French and Tunisian man threatened with expulsion.
Thorn is also celebrated for his support of independent cinema as one of the co-founders of the France's Association for the Diffusion of Independent Cinema (l'ACID).
In a press release paying tribute to Thorn, l'ACID recalled how he had been one of 80 signatories of a 1991 text in support of independent cinema and entitled 'Resister', alongside Claudine Bories, Robert Guédiguian and Gérard Mordillat, which acted as the spur for the body's creation.
The group secured support from France's National Cinema Centre (CNC) for the creation of l'ACID, which Thorn would preside over from 1992 to 1995.
During this time, he also negotiated with the CNC for the creation of the parallel l'ACID section at Cannes, which to this day remains a champion of independent cinema during the festival.'For our association, he represents an anchor in the memory of past and future struggles. Through his films, we're able to not lose sight of why we make films that maintain diversity and preserve our freedom and our autonomy,' wrote l'ACID in it release.
Best of Deadline
2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery
2025 Deaths Photo Gallery: Hollywood & Media Obituaries
2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Major Superstar Was Hiding In Plain Sight In ‘Fantastic Four,' Filmmaker Confirms
'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' took in $118 million over the weekend to dethrone 'Superman' and lead the weekend box office. And one scene that had fans talking didn't come during the movie came during the credits. During a mid-credits scene, Sue Storm ― the Invisible Woman ― leaves her son, Franklin, in the living room to get a book. When she returns, Franklin is looking up at the cloaked figure of Doctor Doom. Doctor Doom is holding his mask, while Franklin reaches up and touches the villain's face, which is hidden by the cloak's hood and not seen on camera. Last year, Marvel announced that Robert Downey Jr. would return to the MCU to portray Doctor Doom. However, since his face is never seen, many fans have guessed that a stand-in was used for the quick scene. Now, 'Fantastic Four' director Matt Shakman told Phase Hero's Brandon Davis that it really was Downey in the cloak, and that the scene was shot by Anthony and Joe Russo, aka the Russo Brothers. The duo, who directed some of the biggest Marvel films so far, are working on next year's 'Avengers: Doomsday,' in which a revised lineup of heroes ― including the Fantastic Four ― take on Downey's Doctor Doom. It's set to hit screens on Dec. 18, 2026. Related... Disney, Universal Slam AI Company As 'Bottomless Pit Of Plagiarism' In Scathing Lawsuit Disney's 'Snow White' Is Causing Controversy Even Before It Hits Theaters Disney To Bring Theme Park Magic To A Whole New Region
Gizmodo
40 minutes ago
- Gizmodo
Heaven Help Us, the ‘Crossed' Movie Is Really Happening
Chris Sheridan talks Resident Alien's cancellation. Hayden Christensen is still filming the second season of Ahsoka. And could Leatherface survive his own love interest in the next Texas Chainsaw Massacre? Future events such as these will affect you in the future. Morning Spoilers, ho! THR reports Devin Druid and Ash Santos will star in the upcoming film adaptation of Garth Ennis's Crossed as Stan and Cindy, 'the leaders of a group of strangers thrown together as they attempt to escape northward' from the infected. The film's supporting cast includes Ethan Jones Romero as Thomas; Kyla Hee as Kelly; Chido Nwokocha as Kitrick; Spenser Granese as Brett; Bob Morley as Randall; Ana Mulvoy Ten as Sheena; Steven Hack as Geoff; Angie Campbell as Amy; Peter Falls as Joel; and newcomer Lorenzo Ross as Patrick. Additionally, Owen Harn will lead the infected 'Crossed' as the infamous Horsecock, opposite Fedor Steer as Face and Kelvin Adekunle as Stump. According to Fangoria, David Yarovesky (Brightburn) is attached to write and direct He Never Dies, a horror film about an undying man who returns 'bigger,' 'stronger,' and 'less human' each time he's killed, at Gary Dauberman's production company, Coin Operated. Speaking at Neon's The Next Wave of Horror panel at San Diego Comic-Con (via Bloody-Disgusting), Osgood Perkins discussed his take on the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise he's 'certainly in the conversation' to direct the next installment of. My producing partners and I, we went down a path with Texas Chainsaw. To be honest with you, I don't know what's happening with it, but we were certainly in the conversation for it. What's lovely about these people who own the rights — it's the original writer [Kim Henkel] — is that they really care about Leatherface. There's a fondness about his character and the idea that he saw bad things when he was younger, and because he is neurodivergent, he had his difficulties processing, and that's when turned him into a quote 'monster.' It goes back to Frankenstein or wherever you want to be with monsters that are usually the misunderstood, sensitive type. I think your idea is beautiful. I don't see any reason why not. The rights holders provided us with a guide book that they had put together. 'These are the things that we think are important, these are the things we'd love to see, these are the things we don't like,' so on and so forth. One of the things was 'Leatherface should never have a love interest.' My partners and I were like, 'Well, now you've said it!' Relatedly, AvPGalaxy has a new poster for Predator: Badlands from San Diego Comic Con this past weekend. Cineverse has also released a teaser for its new, unrated remake of Silent Night, Deadly Night starring Rohan Campbell as Billy. A missing woman mysteriously reappears, claiming she's being hunted by a 'dark force that twists fear into reality' in the trailer for We're Not Safe Here, coming to VOD this August 22. According to an update from Spacecon San Antonio's Facebook page (via Screen Rant), Hayden Christensen is unable to make the event this year as the actor is 'still filming the next season of Ahsoka.' Speaking with Screen Rant, Resident Alien showrunner Chris Sheridan admitted he 'sort of saw' the series' cancellation 'coming a long time ago' and made sure season four would 'finish telling the story.' It wasn't brand new news for us. We sort of saw it coming a long time ago. I mean, a year ago, when we started the season, I was pretty sure that this is how it would go down. So, in trying to figure out what we were doing creatively for season four, I made a decision, back then, to finish telling the story. I didn't want to end up in a situation where we had cliffhangers and it was left untold and then we got canceled after that. So, we sort of took it upon ourselves to end it our own way. Finally, Apple TV+ has released a teaser for Pluribus, a mysterious new sci-fi series from Vince Gilligan starring Rhea Seehorn, Carlos Manuel Vesga, Karolina Wydra, Miriam Shor, and Samba Schutte. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Associated Press
41 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Celebrity birthdays for the week of Aug. 3-9
Celebrity birthdays for the week of Aug. 3-9: Aug. 3: Actor Martin Sheen is 85. Singer Beverly Lee of The Shirelles is 84. Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart is 84. Movie director John Landis is 75. Actor Jo Marie Payton ('Family Matters') is 75. Actor Philip Casnoff ('Oz,' 'Strong Medicine') is 71. Actor John C. McGinley ('Scrubs') is 66. Bassist Lee Rocker (Stray Cats) is 64. Actor Lisa Ann Walter ('Abbott Elementary') is 64. Singer-guitarist James Hetfield of Metallica is 62. Singer Ed Roland of Collective Soul is 62. Actor Isaiah Washington ('Grey's Anatomy,' ″Soul Food') is 62. Keyboardist Dean Sams of Lonestar is 59. Guitarist Stephen Carpenter of Deftones is 55. Musician Spinderella of Salt-N-Pepa is 54. Actor Brigid Brannagh ('CSI,' 'Army Wives') is 53. Actor Michael Ealy ('Think Like a Man,' ″Barbershop') is 52. Violinist Jimmy De Martini of Zac Brown Band is 49. Actor Evangeline Lilly ('Lost') is 46. Actor Mamie Gummer ('The Good Wife') is 42. Singer Holly Arnstein of Dream is 40. Actor Georgina Haig ('Once Upon a Time') is 40. Bassist Brent Kutzle of OneRepublic is 40. Rapper D.R.A.M. is 37. Aug. 4: Actor Tina Cole ('My Three Sons') is 82. Actor Billy Bob Thornton is 70. Actor Kym Karath ('The Sound of Music') is 67. Actor Lauren Tom ('Joy Luck Club,' ″Men in Trees') is 66. Producer Michael Gelman ('Live with Kelly and Ryan') is 64. Actor Crystal Chappell ('Guiding Light') is 60. Drummer Rob Cieka of Boo Radleys is 57. Actor Daniel Dae Kim ('Hawaii Five-O,' ″Lost') is 57. Actor Michael Deluise ('Gilmore Girls,' 'NYPD Blue') is 56. Rapper Yo-Yo ('Miss Rap Supreme') is 54. Singer-actor Marques Houston of Immature is 44. Actor-turned-princess Meghan Markle ('Suits') is 44. Actor-director Greta Gerwig is 42. 'American Idol' runner-up Crystal Bowersox is 40. Actors Dylan and Cole Sprouse ('The Suite Life of Zack and Cody,' ″Grace Under Fire') are 33. 'American Idol' runner-up Jessica Sanchez is 30. Aug. 5: Actor Loni Anderson is 80. Actor Erika Slezak ('One Life To Live') is 79. Actor-turned-journalist Holly Palance ('Under Fire,' 'The Omen') is 75. Singer Samantha Sang is 74. Guitarist Eddie Ojeda of Twisted Sister is 70. Actor Maureen McCormick ('The Brady Bunch') is 69. Guitarist Pat Smear of Foo Fighters is 66. Country fiddler Mark O'Connor is 64. Actor Mark Strong ('The Imitation Game') is 62. Director James Gunn ('Guardians of the Galaxy') is 59. Actor Jonathan Silverman ('The Single Guy') is 59. Country singer Terri Clark is 57. Actor Stephanie Szostak ('A Million Little Things') is 54. Cellist Eicca Toppinen of Apocalyptica is 50. Drummer Whit Sellers of Old Dominion is 47. Actor Jesse Williams ('Grey's Anatomy') is 45. Actor Albert Tsai ('Dr. Ken') is 21. Actor Devin Trey Campbell ('Single Parents') is 17. Aug. 6: Actor-director Peter Bonerz is 87. Actor Louise Sorel ('Days of Our Lives') is 85. Actor Ray Buktenica ('Rhoda') is 82. Actor Dorian Harewood is 75. Actor Catherine Hicks ('Seventh Heaven') is 74. Singer Pat MacDonald of Timbuk 3 is 73. Actor Stepfanie Kramer ('Hunter') is 69. Actor Faith Prince is 68. Singer Randy DeBarge of DeBarge is 67. Actor Leland Orser ('ER') is 66. Actor Michelle Yeoh ('Everything Everywhere All at Once,' 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon') is 63. Country singers Peggy and Patsy Lynn of The Lynns are 61. Actor Jeremy Ratchford ('Cold Case') is 60. Actor Benito Martinez ('American Crime,' 'The Shield') is 57. Country singer Lisa Stewart is 57. Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan ('The Sixth Sense') is 55. Actor Merrin Dungey ('Summerland,' ″Alias') is 54. Singer Geri Halliwell Horner of Spice Girls is 53. Actor Jason O'Mara ('Life on Mars') is 53. Actor Vera Farmiga ('Up in the Air,' ″The Departed') is 52. Actor Soleil Moon Frye ('Sabrina The Teenage Witch,' ″Punky Brewster') is 49. Actor Melissa George ('Alias,' ″Grey's Anatomy') is 49. Singer Travis 'Travie' McCoy of Gym Class Heroes is 44. Actor Leslie Odom Jr. (stage: 'Hamilton,' TV: 'Smash') is 44. Bassist Eric Roberts of Gym Class Heroes is 41. Aug. 7: Humorist Garrison Keillor is 83. Actor John Glover ('Smallville') is 81. Actor David Rasche ('Sledge Hammer!') is 81. Country singer Rodney Crowell is 75. Actor Caroline Aaron ('The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel') is 73. Actor Wayne Knight ('Seinfeld') is 70. Singer Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden is 67. Actor David Duchovny ('Californication,' ″The X-Files') is 65. Actor Delane Matthews ('Dave's World') is 64. Actor Harold Perrineau ('Lost,' ″Oz') is 62. Jazz pianist Marcus Roberts is 62. Country singer Raul Malo of The Mavericks is 60. Actor David Mann ('Madea' films) is 59. Actor Sydney Penny ('The Thorn Birds,' ″All My Children') is 54. Actor Greg Serano ('Power') is 53. Actor Michael Shannon ('George and Tammy,' 'The Flash') is 51. Actor Charlize Theron is 50. Drummer Barry Kerch of Shinedown is 49. Actor Eric Johnson ('Fifty Shades Darker,' ″Smallville') is 46. Actor Liam James (TV's 'Psych,' film's 'The Way, Way Back') is 29. Aug. 8: Actor Nita Talbot is 95. Actor Dustin Hoffman is 88. Actor Connie Stevens is 87. Country singer Phil Balsley of The Statler Brothers is 86. Actor Larry Wilcox ('CHiPS') is 78. Actor Keith Carradine ('Madam Secretary') is 76. Drummer Anton Fig ('Late Show With David Letterman') is 72. Actor Donny Most ('Happy Days') is 72. Keyboardist Dennis Drew of 10,000 Maniacs is 68. Actor-turned-investment banker Harry Crosby ('Friday the 13th') is 67. News anchor Deborah Norville is 67. Guitarist The Edge of U2 is 64. Drummer Rikki Rockett of Poison is 64. Rapper Kool Moe Dee is 63. Singer Scott Stapp of Creed is 52. Country singer Mark Wills is 52. Actor Kohl Sudduth (TV's 'Jesse Stone' movies) is 51. Guitarist Tom Linton of Jimmy Eat World is 50. Singer J.C. Chasez of 'N Sync is 49. Actor Tawny Cypress ('Heroes') is 49. Singer Drew Lachey of 98 Degrees is 49. Singer Marsha Ambrosius (Floetry) is 48. Actor Lindsay Sloane ('Sabrina the Teenage Witch') is 48. Actor Countess Vaughn ('The Parkers,' ″Moesha') is 47. Actor Michael Urie ('Ugly Betty') is 45. Actor Meagan Good ('Think Like a Man') is 44. Guitarist Eric Howk of Portugal. The Man is 44. Actor Jackie Cruz ('Orange Is the New Black') is 41. Actor Ken Baumann ('The Secret Life of the American Teenager') is 36. Singer Shawn Mendes is 27. Actor Bebe Wood ('The Real O'Neals') is 24. Aug. 9: Jazz drummer Jack DeJohnette is 83. Comedian David Steinberg is 83. Actor Sam Elliott is 81. Singer Barbara Mason is 78. Actor Melanie Griffith is 68. Actor Amanda Bearse ('Married... With Children') is 67. Rapper Kurtis Blow is 66. Former 'Today' co-host Hoda Kotb is 61. Actor Pat Petersen ('Knots Landing') is 59. Actor Gillian Anderson ('The X-Files') is 57. Actor Eric Bana ('Star Trek,' ″The Hulk') is 57. News correspondent Chris Cuomo is 55. Actor Thomas Lennon (″Reno 911!') is 55. Bassist Arion Salazar (Third Eye Blind) is 55. Rapper Mack 10 is 54. Singer Juanes is 53. Actor Liz Vassey ('CSI,' ″All My Children') is 53. Actor Kevin McKidd ('Grey's Anatomy') is 52. Actor Rhona Mitra ('Nip/Tuck,' 'Boston Legal') is 50. Actor Jessica Capshaw ('Grey's Anatomy,' 'The Practice') is 49. Actor Ashley Johnson ('The Help') is 42. Actor Anna Kendrick ('Pitch Perfect,' ″Twilight') is 40.
