Famous Film Directors from France
Abbas Fahdel
Abbas Fahdel (Arabic ุนุจุงุณ ูุงุถู) is an Iraqi-French film director, screenwriter and film critic, born in Babylon, Iraq. Based in France since the age of 18 years, he studied cinema at the Sorbonne University until Ph.D. In January 2002, he returned to Iraq with a French passport and filmed a documentary film, Back to Babylon (film), in which he asked himself: "What have my childhood friends become? How have their lives changed? What would my life have been like if I hadn't chosen to build my destiny elsewhere?" The country's dramatic situation is the background of this introspective investigation. One year later, in February 2003, when a new war seems imminent, Abbas Fahdel returned to Iraq with the intention of filming his family and friends, and the superstitious hope of protecting them against the dangers threatening them. When the war started, he returned to France and lost all contact with his family. Two months later, he again returned to Iraq and discovered a country shaken by violence, the nightmare of dictatorship replaced by chaos, but a country where, nonetheless, everything remains possible: the best or the worse. This historical moment is the theme of his second documentary film, We Iraqis. In 2008, he directed the feature film Dawn of the World, a war-drama in which he gives an unexpected account of the multiple impacts of the Gulf Wars and how they have dramatically damaged an area known to be the geographic location of the biblical Garden of Eden. In 2015, his new film Homeland (Iraq Year Zero), a monumental documentary of 334 minutes, is awarded at Visions du rรฉel - Nyon International Film Festival.
Age: 73Abdelkrim Bahloul is an actor, screenwriter and director.- Age: 63Abdellatif Kechiche (French: [abdษlatif keสiส]; Tunisian Arabic: ุนุจุฏ ุงููุทูู ูุดูุดโ, born 7 December 1960) is a Tunisian-French actor, film director and screenwriter. He made his directorial debut in 2000 with La Faute ร Voltaire, which he also wrote. His film Blue Is the Warmest Colour won the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.
- Dec. at 92 (1889-1981)Abel Gance (French: [gษฬs]; 25 October 1889 โ 10 November 1981) was a French film director and producer, writer and actor. A pioneer in the theory and practice of montage, he is best known for three major silent films: J'accuse (1919), La Roue (1923), and the monumental Napolรฉon (1927).
Adonis Kyrou
Dec. at 62 (1923-1985)Adonis Kyrou may refer to: Adonis Kyrou (publisher), newspaper publisher Adonis A. Kyrou, filmmaker and writer; grandson of Adonis Kyrou Adonis K. Kyrou, newspaper publisher; grandson of Adonis Kyrou and cousin of Adonis A. Kyrou- Age: 83agnรจs b. (born Agnรจs Andrรฉe Marguerite Troublรฉ, 1941 in Versailles) is a French fashion designer. She is known for her self-named brand, which includes fashion and film interests.
- Age: 103Agnรจs Delahaie (born 17 September 1920) is a French film producer. She was nominated (as Annie Dorfmann) in 1956 for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for her film Gervaise.
- Age: 59Agnรจs Jaoui (born 19 October 1964) is a French actress, screenwriter, film director and singer. She frequently works in collaboration with her former partner Jean-Pierre Bacri.
- Age: 95Agnรจs Varda (French: [aษฒษs vaสda]; 30 May 1928 โ 29 March 2019) was a Belgian-born French film director, photographer and artist. Her work was pioneering for, and central to, the development of the widely influential French New Wave film movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Her films focused on achieving documentary realism, addressing feminist issues, and/or producing other social commentary, with a distinctive experimental style. Varda's work employed location shooting in an era when the limitations of sound technology made it easier and more common to film indoors, with constructed sets and painted backdrops of landscapes, rather than the real thing. Her use of non-professional actors was also unconventional in the context of 1950s French cinema. Among other awards and nominations, she received an honorary Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, an Academy Honorary Award, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
- Age: 65Agnรจs Merlet (born 4 January 1959) is a French film director who is known for directing Son of the Shark, Artemisia and Dorothy Mills. Recently she directed the Irish/French/Swedish co-production Hideaways starring Rachel Hurd-Wood and Harry Treadaway.
- Age: 55Philippe Fragione (Italian: [fradสone]), better known by his stage name Akhenaton (born 17 September 1968, Marseille), is a French rapper and hip hop producer of Italian origin. He has also worked under the aliases Chill, AKH, Sentenza, and Spectre. He became famous as a member of the group IAM, and has since made a number of records, both with IAM and as a solo artist. Akhenaton has worked as a producer, producing songs for several French rappers and groups such as Passi, Stomy Bugsy, Fonky Family, Freeman (a fellow member of IAM who has since made his break as a solo artist), La Brigade, Le 3รจme ลil, etc. He is the creator of the record label Cรดtรฉ Obscur, the publishing house La Cosca, and the vinyl record label 361.Moreย Akhenaton
- #47 of 50 onThe Best Jamaican Rappers
- #21 of 70 onThe 70 Best French Rappers Of All Time, Ranked
- #36 of 497 onThe Best Electro Bands/Artists
Alain Beigel
Age: 60Alain Beigel is an actor and film director.Alain Berbรฉrian
Age: 71Alain Berbรฉrian is a French film director and writer of Armenian descent.- Age: 92Alain Cavalier (French: [kavalje]; born 14 September 1931) is a French film director.
- Age: 65Alain Chabat (born 24 November 1958) is a French actor, director, screenwriter and television presenter. He was originally known for his work in the comedy group Les Nuls, including as the co-writer and lead actor of La Citรฉ de la peur (1994). He has since then become a notable filmmaker of his own, typically both writing and starring in the movies he directed, which include cult comedy films such as Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra, RRRrrrr!!! and HOUBA! On the Trail of the Marsupilami. He also appeared in French Twist, The Taste of Others, The Science of Sleep, Happily Ever After and the television series Kaamelott. Additionally, he voiced the character of Shrek in the French dubbing of the Shrek franchise.Moreย Alain Chabat
- #62 of 89 onVirgo Rising Celebrities
- #16 of 21 onThe Best Actors Who Played Napoleon Bonaparte
- #21 of 26 onThe Best Actors Who Have Played Julius Caesar
- Dec. at 67 (1943-2010)Alain Corneau (7 August 1943 โ 30 August 2010) was a French film director and writer. Corneau was born in Meung-sur-Loire, Loiret. Originally a musician, he worked with Costa-Gavras as an assistant, which was also his first opportunity to work with the actor Yves Montand, with whom he would collaborate three times later in his career, including Police Python 357 (1976) and La Menace (1977). He directed Gรฉrard Depardieu in the screen adaptation of Tous les matins du monde in 1991. Corneau died in Paris on 30 August 2010 from cancer, aged 67 and was interred at Pรจre Lachaise Cemetery.
- Dec. at 85 (1908-1994)Alain Cuny (12 July 1908 โ 16 May 1994) was a French actor in theatre and cinema.
- Age: 88Alain Delon, a titan of the French cinema scene, made his mark in the world of film through his transformative roles and captivating screen presence. Born on November 8, 1935, in Sceaux, France, Delon initially pursued a career in the military before his undeniable charisma found its true calling in acting. His magnetic appeal resonated with audiences worldwide, earning him an iconic status that remains intact to this day. Stepping into the limelight with films such as Plein Soleil (1960) and Rocco and His Brothers (1960), Delon displayed a unique blend of emotional depth and raw intensity. His performances in these films garnered critical acclaim, setting the stage for a long and distinguished career. A consistent fixture in cinematic masterpieces, Delon worked with renowned directors like Luchino Visconti, Jean-Pierre Melville, and Michelangelo Antonioni. His portrayals of complex characters in films like The Leopard" (1963) further established him as a heavyweight actor of his generation. Delon's influence extended beyond the realm of acting. He ventured into producing and established his own production company, "Adel Productions." Despite facing personal controversies, Delon remained committed to his craft and continued to captivate audiences with his performances. His contribution to cinema was recognized with an honorary Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. Alain Delon's life and career encapsulate a fascinating journey of talent, passion, and unwavering dedication to the art of filmmaking.Moreย Alain Delon
- #535 of 574 onThe Best Actors In Film History
- #376 of 3,183 onThe Most Influential People Of All Time
- #69 of 98 onThe Most Captivating Celebrity Eyes (Men)
- Age: 80Alain Fleischer is a film director, film editor and screenwriter.
- Age: 72Alain Fresnot is a film director, a film editor, and a screenwriter.
- Age: 56Alain Gagnol is a French film maker. In January 2012, he was nominated for an Academy Award for the animated movie A Cat in Paris.
- Age: 52Alain Gomis is a film director and screenwriter.
Alain Guiraudie
Age: 59Alain Guiraudie is a French film director and screenwriter. He has directed ten mostly LGBT-related films since 1990. He is openly gay. Guiraudie has named Georges Bataille as an important influence. His 2013 film Stranger by the Lake was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival where he won the award for Best Director.- Age: 92Alain Jessua (16 January 1932 โ 30 November 2017) was a French film director and screenwriter. He directed ten films between 1956 and 1997. He worked as assistant director for Jacques Becker on the set of Casque d'or, with Max Ophรผls for Madame de... and Lola Montรจs and with Marcel Carnรฉ on Wasteland. Lรฉon la lune his first short film won the influential Prix Jean Vigo in 1957. He directed first feature film in 1963 La vie ร l'envers that won Best First Film at Venice Film Festival, in 1964. His 1967 film Jeu de massacre was entered into the 1967 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the award for Best Screenplay. His 1979 film The Dogs was entered into the 11th Moscow International Film Festival. In 1984 Alain Jessua directed Frankenstein 90, freely inspired by Mary Shelley's book, with Eddy Mitchell in the role of the creature.
- Dec. at 73 (1934-2008)Alain Levent (15 September 1934 โ 28 August 2008) was a French cinematographer and film director. He worked on 80 films between 1960 and 2007. His 1972 film The Bar at the Crossing was entered into the 22nd Berlin International Film Festival.
Alain Maline
Age: 76Alain Maline is a film director and screenwriter.- Dec. at 91 (1922-2014)Alain Resnais (French: [alษฬ สษnษ]; 3 June 1922 โ 1 March 2014) was a French film director and screenwriter whose career extended over more than six decades. After training as a film editor in the mid-1940s, he went on to direct a number of short films which included Night and Fog (1956), an influential documentary about the Nazi concentration camps.Resnais began making feature films in the late 1950s and consolidated his early reputation with Hiroshima mon amour (1959), Last Year at Marienbad (1961), and Muriel (1963), all of which adopted unconventional narrative techniques to deal with themes of troubled memory and the imagined past. These films were contemporary with, and associated with, the French New Wave (la nouvelle vague), though Resnais did not regard himself as being fully part of that movement. He had closer links to the "Left Bank" group of authors and filmmakers who shared a commitment to modernism and an interest in left-wing politics. He also established a regular practice of working on his films in collaboration with writers previously unconnected with the cinema such as Jean Cayrol, Marguerite Duras, Alain Robbe-Grillet, Jorge Semprรบn and Jacques Sternberg.In later films, Resnais moved away from the overtly political topics of some previous works and developed his interests in an interaction between cinema and other cultural forms, including theatre, music, and comic books. This led to imaginative adaptations of plays by Alan Ayckbourn, Henri Bernstein and Jean Anouilh, as well as films featuring various kinds of popular song. His films frequently explore the relationship between consciousness, memory, and the imagination, and he was noted for devising innovative formal structures for his narratives. Throughout his career, he won many awards from international film festivals and academies.
- Dec. at 85 (1922-2008)Alain Robbe-Grillet (French: [a.lษฬ สษb ษกสi.jษ]; 18 August 1922 โ 18 February 2008) was a French writer and filmmaker. He was one of the figures most associated with the Nouveau Roman (new novel) trend of the 1960s, along with Nathalie Sarraute, Michel Butor and Claude Simon. Alain Robbe-Grillet was elected a member of the Acadรฉmie franรงaise on 25 March 2004, succeeding Maurice Rheims at seat No. 32. He was married to Catherine Robbe-Grillet (nรฉe Rstakian).
- Dec. at 78 (1924-2002)Albert Band (May 7, 1924 โ June 14, 2002) was an American film director and film producer. He was the son of artist Max Band, father of filmmaker Charles Band and of film composer Richard Band. He is the grandfather of Alex Band , Taryn Band and Rachael Band.
- Dec. at 63 (1858-1921)Alexander Mishon (Russian: ะะปะตะบัะฐะฝะดั ะะธั ะฐะนะปะพะฒะธั ะะธัะพะฝ; 5 July 1858, in Kharkiv โ 5 July 1921, near Samara) was a Russian photographer and cinematographer. Born to a French family in Kharkiv, he started his career as a photographer and owned a photo studio in his hometown. He later settled in Baku (nowadays capital of Azerbaijan) and lived there for 25 years. Here, in 1898, he shot his first films using a Lumiรจre cinematograph. Michon is widely regarded as the pioneer of Azerbaijani cinema.
