My favourite French filmmakers (working today)
by Koyaanisqatsi4 | created - 18 Sep 2013 | updated - 03 Jan 2014 | Public1. Leos Carax
Director | Holy Motors
Leos Carax made several short films and also wrote film criticism, then at the age of 24 years made a very strong first feature Boy Meets Girl (1984). The film played at the 1984 Cannes film festival and was a critical triumph. It paved the way for Carax's second feature Bad Blood (1986) (Bad Blood...
2. Claire Denis
Director | High Life
The films of Claire Denis frequently explore the fragile connections between people and the ways in which the most seemingly inconsequential relationship can have life-changing effects. At the heart of Denis' cinema is a fascination with the delights and difficulties of belonging and otherness, the...
3. Céline Sciamma
Writer | Portrait de la jeune fille en feu
Céline Sciamma was born on November 12, 1978 in Pontoise, Val-d'Oise, France. She is a writer and director, known for Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019), Petite Maman (2021) and Tomboy (2011).
4. Mia Hansen-Løve
Director | L'avenir
Cinema came into Mia Hansen-Løve's life when she was seventeen, as Olivier Assayas made her start as an actress in Late August, Early September (1998). Two years later, he gave her the part of "Aline" in his Les Destinées (2000). Their artistic collaboration was coupled by a union in real ...
5. Bruno Dumont
Writer | P'tit Quinquin
Bruno Dumont was born on March 14, 1958 in Bailleul, Nord, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France. He is a writer and director, known for Li'l Quinquin (2014), The Life of Jesus (1997) and Camille Claudel 1915 (2013).
6. Jean-Claude Brisseau
Director | Choses secrètes
Jean-Claude Brisseau was born on July 17, 1944 in Paris, France. He was a director and writer, known for Secret Things (2002), Sound and Fury (1988) and Céline (1992). He died on May 11, 2019 in Paris, France.
7. Olivier Assayas
Writer | Personal Shopper
Olivier Assayas is a French film director, screenwriter and film critic. He is best know for his films Demonlover (2002), Something in the Air (2012), Clouds of Sils Maria (2014) and Personal Shopper (2016).
Assayas is the son of French director/screenwriter Raymond Assayas, alias Jacques Rémy.
His ...
8. François Ozon
Director | Dans la maison
François Ozon was born on November 15, 1967 in Paris, France. He is a director and writer, known for In the House (2012), 8 Women (2002) and Swimming Pool (2003).
9. Sophie Letourneur
Director | Le marin masqué
Sophie Letourneur is known for Le marin masqué (2011), La vie au ranch (2009) and Voyages en Italie (2023).
10. Bertrand Bonello
Writer | Nocturama
Bertrand Bonello was born on September 11, 1968 in Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France. He is a writer and director, known for Nocturama (2016), House of Tolerance (2011) and The Beast (2023).
11. Catherine Breillat
Writer | À ma soeur!
Catherine Breillat is a Paris based filmmaker and writer who became famous for her distinctively personal films on sexuality, gender trouble and sibling rivalry. Accused of being a "porno auteuriste", Breillat allowed for an unbiased view of sexuality and extended the language of mainstream movies....
12. Philippe Garrel
Writer | Les amants réguliers
Philippe Garrel was born on April 6, 1948 in Paris, France. He is a writer and director, known for Regular Lovers (2005), I Can No Longer Hear the Guitar (1991) and Liberté, la nuit (1984).
13. Gaspar Noé
Director | Enter the Void
Gaspar Noé is an Argentinian filmmaker and screenwriter who lives in France. He is the son of Luis Felipe Noé, an Argentinian artist. He directed I Stand Alone, Irréversible, Enter the Void, Love, Climax, Carne, Lux Æterna, Sodomites and Vortex. His films are known for having a sensory overload ...
14. Michel Gondry
Director | Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
He grew up in Versailles with a family who was very influenced by pop music. When he was young, Gondry wanted to be a painter or an inventor. In the 80s he entered in an art school in Paris where he could develop his graphic skills and where he also met friends with whom he created a pop-rock band ...
15. Valérie Donzelli
Actress | La guerre est déclarée
A tall, slim brunette with deep red puckered lips, Valérie Donzelli plays wonderfully clumsy, gawky, goofy girls, failed seductresses and successful charm freaks. She is also a noted film director, whose works explore very different registers, which she does not hesitate to mix whether comic, ...
16. Rebecca Zlotowski
Writer | Grand Central
Rebecca Zlotowski was born on April 21, 1980 in Paris, France. She is a writer and director, known for Grand Central (2013), Other People's Children (2022) and Planetarium (2016).
17. Laurent Achard
Director | Le dernier des fous
Laurent Achard was born on April 17, 1964 in France. He was a director and writer, known for Le dernier des fous (2006), More Than Yesterday (1998) and La peur, petit chasseur (2004). He died on March 25, 2024 in Paris, France.
18. Léa Fehner
Writer | Les ogres
Léa Fehner was born on October 15, 1981 in Toulouse, Haute-Garonne, France. She is a writer and director, known for Ogres (2015), Sages-femmes (2023) and Qu'un seul tienne et les autres suivront (2009).
19. Jacques Doillon
Director | Le petit criminel
Jacques Doillon was born on March 15, 1944 in Paris, France. He is a director and writer, known for The Little Gangster (1990), Ponette (1996) and Young Werther (1993).
20. Jean-François Richet
Director | L'instinct de mort
Jean-François Richet was born on July 2, 1966 in Paris, France. He is a director and writer, known for Mesrine: Killer Instinct (2008), Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1 (2008) and État des lieux (1995).
21. Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Director | Un long dimanche de fiançailles
Jean-Pierre Jeunet is a self-taught director who was very quickly interested by cinema, with a predilection for a fantastic cinema where form is as important as the subject. Thus he started directing TV commercials and video clips (such as Julien Clerc in 1984). At the same time he met designer/...
22. Pascale Ferran
Director | Lady Chatterley
Pascale Ferran was born on April 17, 1960 in Paris, France. She is a director and writer, known for Lady Chatterley (2006), The Age of Potential (1995) and Bird People (2014).
23. Patrice Chéreau
Director | Intimacy
Patrice Chéreau was born on November 2, 1944 in Lézigné, Maine-et-Loire, France. He was a director and actor, known for Intimacy (2001), The Last of the Mohicans (1992) and Queen Margot (1994). He died on October 7, 2013 in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France.
24. Jacques Audiard
Writer | De rouille et d'os
Born in Paris, France, in 1952. Jacques Audiard's family has always been involved in movie business. His father, Michel, was a popular screenwriter and director and his uncle a producer. But in his teens he refused that world and wanted to be a teacher. He studied literature and philosophy at the ...
25. Laurent Cantet
Director | Entre les murs
Laurent Cantet was born on April 11, 1961 in Melle, Deux-Sèvres, France. He was a director and writer, known for The Class (2008), Human Resources (1999) and Time Out (2001). He was married to Isabelle Coursin. He died on April 25, 2024 in Paris, France.
26. Philippe Claudel
Writer | Il y a longtemps que je t'aime
Philippe Claudel was born on February 2, 1962 in Dombasle-sur-Meurthe, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France. He is a writer and director, known for I've Loved You So Long (2008), A Childhood (2015) and Avant l'hiver (2013).
27. Radu Mihaileanu
Writer | Train de vie
Radu Mihaileanu was born on April 23, 1958 in Bucharest, Romania. He is a writer and director, known for Train of Life (1998), The Concert (2009) and Live and Become (2005).
28. Denis Villeneuve
Director | Dune
Denis Villeneuve is a French Canadian film director and writer. He was born in 1967, in Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada. He started his career as a filmmaker at the National Film Board of Canada. He is best known for his feature films Arrival (2016), Sicario (2015), Prisoners (2013), Enemy (2013), ...
29. Philippe Grandrieux
Director | Un lac
Philippe Grandrieux born 1954 is a French film director and screenwriter. Grandrieux was born in Saint-Étienne. He studied film at the Institut National Supérieur des Arts du Spectacle in Belgium. He exhibited his first video work at Galerie Albert Baronian, Bruxelles. In the 1980s, he worked in ...
30. Xavier Beauvois
Writer | Des hommes et des dieux
Xavier Beauvois was born on March 20, 1967 in Auchel, Pas-de-Calais, France. He is an actor and writer, known for Of Gods and Men (2010), North (1991) and Don't Forget You're Going to Die (1995).
31. Emmanuel Mouret
Director | Les choses qu'on dit, les choses qu'on fait
Emmanuel Mouret was born on June 30, 1970 in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France. He is a director and writer, known for Love Affair(s) (2020), Lady J (2018) and The Art of Love (2011).
32. Marina de Van
Writer | Dans ma peau
Marina de Van was born in France in 1971, her father being a musicologist. She studied at the Lycée Henri IV and at the Sorbonne University where she earned a degree in philosophy. Then, in 1993 she became a student at the FEMIS, the French school for cinematic studies, where she graduated in 1996....
33. Alain Guiraudie
Director | L'inconnu du lac
Alain Guiraudie was born on July 15, 1964 in Villefranche-de-Rouergue, Aveyron, France. He is a director and writer, known for Stranger by the Lake (2013), That Old Dream That Moves (2001) and The King of Escape (2009).
34. Christophe Honoré
Writer | Plaire, aimer et courir vite
Christophe Honoré was born on April 10, 1970 in Carhaix-Plouguer, Finistère, France. He is a writer and director, known for Sorry Angel (2018), Love Songs (2007) and The Beautiful Person (2008).
35. Arnaud Desplechin
Director | Rois et reine
Arnaud Desplechin was born on October 31, 1960 in Roubaix, Nord, France. He is a director and writer, known for Kings & Queen (2004), The Sentinel (1992) and La vie des morts (1991).
36. Alexandre Bustillo
Writer | À l'intérieur
Alexandre Bustillo was born on August 10, 1975 in France. He is a writer and director, known for Inside (2007), The Deep House (2021) and Among the Living (2014).
37. Julien Maury
Writer | À l'intérieur
Julien Maury is known for Inside (2007), The Deep House (2021) and Among the Living (2014).
38. Arnaud des Pallières
Director | Orpheline
Arnaud des Pallières was born on December 1, 1961 in Paris, France. He is a director and writer, known for Orphan (2016), Age of Uprising: The Legend of Michael Kohlhaas (2013) and Diane Wellington (2010).
39. Robert Guédiguian
Producer | Marius et Jeannette
Robert Guédiguian was born on December 3, 1953 in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France. He is a producer and writer, known for Marius and Jeannette (1997), The Snows of Kilimanjaro (2011) and La ville est tranquille (2000). He has been married to Ariane Ascaride since 1975.
40. Benoît Jacquot
Director | Les adieux à la reine
Benoît Jacquot was born on February 5, 1947 in Paris, France. He is a director and writer, known for Farewell, My Queen (2012), The School of Flesh (1998) and À Tout de Suite (2004).
41. Abdellatif Kechiche
Writer | La vie d'Adèle
Abdellatif Kechiche was born on December 7, 1960 in Tunis, Tunisia. He is a writer and director, known for Blue Is the Warmest Colour (2013), Games of Love and Chance (2003) and Poetical Refugee (2000).
42. Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche
Director | Histoire de Judas
Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche was born in 1966 in Beni Zid, Algeria. He is a director and writer, known for Story of Judas (2015), Bled Number One (2006) and South Terminal (2019).
43. Patrice Leconte
Director | Ridicule
Patrice Leconte was born on November 12, 1947 in Paris, France. He is a director and writer, known for Ridicule (1996), La fille sur le pont (1999) and Man on the Train (2002).
44. Cédric Klapisch
Director | L'auberge espagnole
Cédric Klapisch was born on September 4, 1961 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France. He is a director and actor, known for The Spanish Apartment (2002), Rise (2022) and Family Resemblances (1996). He has been married to Lola Doillon since 2002. They have one child.
45. Philippe Lioret
Director | Welcome
Philippe Lioret was born on October 10, 1955 in Paris, France. He is a director and writer, known for Welcome (2009), Don't Worry, I'm Fine (2006) and Tombés du ciel (1993).
46. Mathieu Kassovitz
Actor | Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain
Mathieu Kassovitz was born on August 3, 1967 in Paris, France. He is an actor and director, known for Amélie (2001), La haine (1995) and The Fifth Element (1997).
47. François Dupeyron
Writer | C'est quoi la vie?
François Dupeyron was born on August 14, 1950 in Tartas, Landes, France. He was a writer and director, known for C'est quoi la vie? (1999), Aide-toi, le ciel t'aidera (2008) and Lamento (1988). He was married to Dominique Faysse. He died on February 25, 2016 in Paris, France.
48. Guillaume Canet
Actor | Jeux d'enfants
Son of horse breeders, the young man spent his childhood in the countryside near Paris. In his youth, Guillaume wanted to be a horse-rider, and briefly followed a professional career in the sport. A bad fall broke his dreams, but is at the origin of his acting career, and success. After briefly ...
49. Sylvain Chomet
Director | Les triplettes de Belleville
Sylvain Chomet was born on November 10, 1963 in Maisons-Laffitte, Seine-et-Oise [now Yvelines, Île-de-France], France. He is a director and writer, known for The Triplets of Belleville (2003), The Illusionist (2010) and Paris, I Love You (2006).
50. André Téchiné
Writer | Les roseaux sauvages
André Téchiné was born on March 13, 1943 in Valence, Tarn-et-Garonne, France. He is a writer and director, known for Wild Reeds (1994), Rendez-vous (1985) and Being 17 (2016).
51. Bertrand Tavernier
Director | Un dimanche à la campagne
Bertrand Tavernier was the son of Geneviève (Dumond) and René Tavernier, who was a publicist, writer, and president of the French PEN club. He was a law student that preferred write film criticisms. He also wrote a few books about American movies. Then his first film won a few awards in France and ...
52. Agnès Jaoui
Actress | Le goût des autres
Agnès Jaoui was born on October 19, 1964 in Antony, Hauts-de-Seine, France. She is an actress and writer, known for The Taste of Others (2000), Look at Me (2004) and Family Resemblances (1996). She was previously married to Jean-Pierre Bacri.
53. Alain Corneau
Writer | Tous les matins du monde
Alain Corneau was a Cesar Award-winning French writer-director best known for his multiple collaborations with French cinema superstars Yves Montand, Simone Signoret and Gérard Depardieu. Born on August 7, 1943 in Meung-sur-Loire, Loiret, Corneay trained as a musician but switched his interest to ...
54. Michel Hazanavicius
Writer | The Artist
Michel Hazanavicius was born and raised in Paris, France. His grandparents were originally from Lithuania, but relocated to France in the 1920s. Hazanavicius attended art school, and moved on to work as a director for commercials and television projects. In 1999, he wrote and directed his first ...
55. Ursula Meier
Director | La ligne
Ursula Meier was born on June 24, 1971 in Besançon, Doubs, France. She is a director and writer, known for The Line (2022), Home (2008) and Sister (2012).
56. Gaël Morel
Actor | Les roseaux sauvages
Gaël Morel was born on September 25, 1972 in Villefranche-sur-Saône, Rhône, France. He is a director and writer, known for Wild Reeds (1994), Three Dancing Slaves (2004) and Under Another Sky (2002).
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