By Michel Rossignol
Everytime I walk past a small house on the north side of Bruyère Street near Dalhousie Street, I think about two very different events, my first ride in an automobile and a major international film festival. My first car ride took place one evening in the early 1950s when my parents and I were invited to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Rozon at 137 Bruyère Street. I was only about three years old, but I remember spending a nice evening which included music and a ride in Mr. and Mrs. Rozon’s car. When my father placed me on the rear seat of the car, he said that I was a very lucky boy because I was going for a ride to Rockliffe Park and other parts of Ottawa. I was indeed very lucky and that evening is one of my favourite childhood memories.
The little house also has a link with a film festival. Mr. and Mrs. Rozon lived there with their daughter and two sons. One of their sons, René Rozon, was a student at Guigues School on Murray Street and like many francophone boys who lived in Lowertown in the 1950s, he went to high school at De La Salle Academy on Guigues Street. Before completing Grade 12, René demonstrated on many occasions his ilove for the arts. For example, in April 1955, he played the piano and was an actor in short plays during a show in the Academy’s auditorium. He continued his studies at the University of Ottawa and graduated in 1962 with a degree in political science. In 1965, he left Ottawa for Toronto to study the history of art.
After his studies, René began a teaching career in film studies in the Montreal area and became more and more interested in films about art. There were many films festivals in the1970s and 1980s, but documentaries about the arts were somewhat neglected. In 1981, René Rozon decided to change this situation by founding in Montreal the Festival international du film sur l’art (lefifa.com), the International Festival of Films on Art. He was the festival’s director until 2015, guiding it with great dedication through good and bad times. While providing audiences with the chance to see a wide variety of films on art, architecture, cinema, music, and dance, the festival also encouraged filmmakers from around the world to make such films by giving awards for quality and innovation. For example, in 1993, the festival gave an award to a young director, François Girard, who years later directed films such as The Red Violin. The festival founded by René Rozon is still going strong. It held its fortieth edition in March and when it offered the viewing of films by streaming during the pandemic, Canadians across the whole country became more aware of the festival. Today, with its ARTS.FILM platform, the festival gives viewers access to a wide variety of films on art during the whole year.
In recognition for his major contribution to culture in Canada and in the Province of Québec, René Rozon was made a member of the Order of Canada and the Ordre national du Québec. In 2012. he received a recognition award from the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Social Sciences. With his film festival which he once described as une idée folle (a crazy idea). he has made a major contribution to the world of art.