He was born on 15 January 1928 in Camaret-sur-Mer, Finistère, France, the son of a factory worker and a teacher.

[2][4] He then joined the French Communist Party[5] and studied film-making at the Institut des hautes études cinématographiques, where he graduated in 1948.

[2][6] He was assigned to visit French West Africa and make an educational film,[6][7] but he was appalled by the conditions he witnessed, including lack of doctors and crimes committed by the French Army.

[9] Vautier directed Peuple en marche, which gives the history of the National Liberation Army and the Algerian War, in 1963.

[9] Several of Vautier's other films were presented at Cannes, including Mourir pour des images, Comment on devient un ennemi de l'intérieur, Les trois cousins, and Vacances tunisiennes.