Rodolphe RUTMAN

Rodolphe Rutman
President of REMEMBER
A second-generation director, he comes from a family that has been making documentaries since 1959. Originally from Paris, Rodolphe has been connected to the events of June 6 1944, since he was involved in the 50th anniversary of D-Day, in 1994. That year, he assisted a group of 41 American veteran paratroopers who came to perform a commemorative jump near Sainte-mère-église. Today, he lives in Normandy and likes to share his passion for this subject by leading visits to memorial sites.
In 2002, after many years devoted to photography and journalism, he launched himself alongside his father, Jacques Rutman, into the production and direction of creative documentary films. Passionate about history, his first films focused on the period of World War II. But social issues captivated him just as much, and he subsequently directed “Journey to the End of the Empire” and “Grand Army.” These two films, whose treatment is skillfully balanced between “historical questions” and “social questions”, reveal to us the mark left by Napoleon and the First Empire on French society. In 2014, he wrote and directed “Our Father, This Hero,” a documentary that he delivered to six German television channels. This program focuses on the story of an American soldier of German origin who took part in the Battle of Normandy by landing on Omaha Beach in June 1944. With this film, which deals with the lineage and transmission of the memory of the Normandy events of 1944, he became a director of international co-productions.

“I have worked as a D Day tour guide for many years, and I have also made 3 documentary films about the events on D Day. I have had the privilege to interview many veterans from both sides, as well as local people who witnessed the Normandy Invasion. It is my honour to pass on all the stories I have heard to new generations visiting the landing beaches. Each story I tell has been entrusted to me by the heroes and heroines who were there, and I include many little-known facts about the events of D-Day”

In 2024 Rodolphe created the non-profit association REMEMBER with Thibault de Fouchier. As well as offering private D-Day tours in Normandy, REMEMBER has organised educational events for schools. These events consist of a 3 part presentation, the screening of a documentary film about D-Day, followed by a Q&A with Rodolphe Rutman and a guided tour of one of the D-Day landing beaches.

odolphe Rutman’s Filmography:

Big Red Omaha

(Written by Jacques & Rodolphe Rutman, directed by Rodolphe Rutman, co-directed by Jacques Rutman)
Originally broadcast on France 2, France 5, and Germany’s ZDF in June 2004.

Crossed Destinies

(Written & directed by Rodolphe Rutman)
Broadcast on Odyssée and Cityzen Television in June 2004.

The Long Sobs of Autumn’s Violins…

(Written & directed by Jacques Rutman, co-directed by Rodolphe Rutman)
Broadcast on ARTE in March 2005.

Journey to the End of the Empire

(Written & directed by Rodolphe Rutman)
Co-produced and broadcast by LCP Assemblée Nationale, France 3 Corse, AB SAT Toute l’Histoire, Cityzen TV, and TV Rennes 35.

Grande Armée

(Written & directed by Rodolphe Rutman)
Co-produced and broadcast by France 3 Corse, AB SAT Toute l’Histoire, Cityzen TV, and TV Rennes 35.

Our Father, This Hero

(Written & directed by Rodolphe Rutman)
Co-produced by five German-language TV channels and broadcast in Germany in summer 2014 on Phoenix, ARD, NDR, BR, SDR, and WDR.