Un pays qui se tient sage au 40e Minneapolis Saint Paul Film Festival

Présentation du festival

As part of the so-called “yellow vest” movement, French citizens took to the streets to oppose government policies. The state responded with unprecedented levels of police violence. Filmmaker and journalist David Dufresne gathered a cross-section of citizens to argue, discuss and examine the role of violence in French society, and, by extension, the world.

Launched in 2018, the gilet jaunes, or “yellow vest,” movement took over France, a peaceful protest to oppose government policies and call attention to the rising economic inequality plaguing that country. According to polls, the protestors were made up of the left, the right, and even the indifferent. Police response was swift, violent, and in some cases, deadly. Using never-before-seen footage and interviews with citizen leaders, intellectuals, victims of police assault and the police themselves, David Dufresne has created a compelling cinematic statement that is sure to raise more questions than it answers. “The results are very French, but the protest, violence and arguments are wholly identifiable.” —Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHY David Dufresne Born in 1968, David Dufresne is an investigative journalist, punk rocker, novelist and independent writer and filmmaker. He is the director of documentaries Prison Valley (2009) and The Monopoly of Violence (Un pays qui se tient sage) (2020) which was selected for the Directors’ Fortnight at the 2020 Cannes Film Festival.