François Ozon (; born 15 November 1967) is a French

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

. Ozon is considered one of the most important modern French filmmakers. His films are characterized by aesthetic beauty, sharp satirical humor and a free-wheeling view of

human sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...

. Recurring themes in his films are friendship, sexual identity, different perceptions of reality, transience and death. Ozon has achieved international acclaim for his films ''

8 femmes ''8 Women'' (french: 8 femmes) is a 2002 dark comedy musical film written and directed by François Ozon. Based on the 1958 play by Robert Thomas, it features an ensemble cast of high-profile French actresses that includes Catherine Deneuve, ...

'' (2002) and ''

Swimming Pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built ...

'' (2003). He is considered one of the most important directors in the new "New Wave" in

French cinema French cinema consists of the film industry and its film productions, whether made within the nation of France or by French film production companies abroad. It is the oldest and largest precursor of national cinemas in Europe; with primary influ ...

, along with

Jean-Paul Civeyrac Jean-Paul Civeyrac (born 24 December 1964) is a French director whose films are usually characterized by close attention to music and actors' bodies. He has adapted a French novel by Anne Wiazemsky, ''Hymnes à l'amour'', with the title '' All the ...

Philippe Ramos Philippe Ramos (born 1966) is a French film director, screenwriter and film editor. He directed an adaptation of ''Moby-Dick'': ''Capitaine Achab'' with Valérie Crunchant and Frédéric Bonpart in 2004. Ramos is considered to be associated with ...

, and Yves Caumon, as well as a group of French filmmakers associated with a ''cinema du corps'' ("cinema of the body").

Life and career

Ozon was born in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Having studied directing at the French film school

La Femis LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

, Ozon made several short films such as ''

A Summer Dress ''A Summer Dress'' (french: Une robe d'été) is a 1996 short film directed by François Ozon about a flagging gay relationship that is refueled in an unexpected way. Plot Luc ( Frédéric Mangenot) spends his holiday by the sea with his slightly ...

'' (''Une robe d'été'', 1996) and ''Scènes de lit'' (1998). His motion picture directing debut was ''

Sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

'' (also 1998), which was well received by both critics and audiences. After the Fassbinder adaptation ''

Water Drops on Burning Rocks ''Water Drops on Burning Rocks'' (french: Gouttes d'eau sur pierres brûlantes) is a 2000 French romantic comedy drama film directed by François Ozon, based on Rainer Werner Fassbinder's play ''Tropfen auf heiße Steine''. The plot concerns a 5 ...

'' (''Gouttes d'eau sur pierres brûlantes'', 2000) came the film which made his name outside France, '' 8 Women'' (''8 femmes'', 2002), starring

Catherine Deneuve Catherine Fabienne Dorléac (born 22 October 1943), known professionally as Catherine Deneuve (, , ), is a French actress as well as an occasional singer, model, and producer, considered one of the greatest European actresses. She gained recogni ...

Fanny Ardant Fanny Marguerite Judith Ardant (born 22 March 1949) is a French actress and film director. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two César Awards and a Lumières Award. Early life Ardant was born in Saumur, Maine-et-Loire, Fr ...

Isabelle Huppert Isabelle Anne Madeleine Huppert (; born 16 March 1953) is a French actress. Described as "one of the best actresses in the world", she is known for her portrayals of cold and disdainful characters devoid of morality. She is the recipient of sev ...

and

Emmanuelle Béart Emmanuelle Béart (born 14 August 1963)
''Tecinema.jeuxactu.com''. Retrieved 21 April 2020. is a F ...

. With its quirky mix of musical numbers and murder mystery and a production design harking back to 1950s Hollywood melodramas such as those directed by

Douglas Sirk Douglas Sirk (born Hans Detlef Sierck; 26 April 1897 – 14 January 1987) was a German film director best known for his work in Hollywood melodramas of the 1950s. Sirk started his career in Germany as a stage and screen director, but he left for ...

, the film became a huge commercial success. In 2003, ''

'', starring Charlotte Rampling and

Ludivine Sagnier Ludivine Sagnier (born 3 July 1979) is a French actress and model who has appeared on screen since 1989. She was nominated three times for the César Award for Best Supporting Actress for ''Swimming Pool'' (2003), '' Peter Pan'' (2003), and ''A ...

, was released. Ozon considered it a very personal film that gives insight into the difficult process of writing a novel or screenplay. In 2004 he directed the film '' 5x2''. In 2005 his film ''

Time to Leave ''Time to Leave'' (french: Le Temps qui reste, lit=The Time That Remains) is a 2005 French drama film written and directed by François Ozon. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. Plot Romain, a gay 31 ...

'' (''Le temps qui reste'') was screened at film festivals worldwide. Ozon's first full English-language production, ''

Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

'', starring

Romola Garai Romola Sadie Garai (; born 6 August 1982) is a British actress and film director. She appeared in ''Amazing Grace'', ''Atonement'', and '' Glorious 39'', and in the BBC series '' Emma'', '' The Hour'' and ''The Crimson Petal and the White''. I ...

, was released in 2007. The film, based on a novel by British writer

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...

, follows the story of a poor girl who climbs Edwardian England's social ladder by becoming a romance writer. The film was shot at Tyntesfield House and Estate near Bristol, at other UK locations and in Belgium. While filming ''Angel'', Ozon developed a strong friendship with Garai and called her his "muse". His film '' The Refuge'' had its world premiere at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...

in September 2009. Ozon was on the jury for the

62nd Berlin International Film Festival The 62nd annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 9 to 19 February 2012. British film director Mike Leigh was the President of the Jury. The first five films to be screened in the competition were announced on 19 December 2011. Am ...

, held in February 2012. His 2013 film '' Young & Beautiful'' (''Jeune & Jolie'') was nominated for the

Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

at the

2013 Cannes Film Festival The 66th Cannes Film Festival took place in Cannes, France, from 15 to 26 May 2013. Steven Spielberg was the head of the jury for the main competition. New Zealand film director Jane Campion was the head of the jury for the Cinéfondation and S ...

. Ozon was voted best screenwriter at the 2013 European Film Awards for his 2012 film '' In the House''. His 2014 film '' The New Girlfriend'' premiered at the

in September 2014. His film ''

Peter von Kant ''Peter von Kant'' is a 2022 French romantic drama film written and directed by François Ozon. It is a loose adaptation of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's play ''The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant'', which he adapted into a film in 1972, but here wi ...

'', a gender-flipped reinterpretation of

Rainer Werner Fassbinder Rainer Werner Fassbinder (; 31 May 1945 – 10 June 1982), sometimes credited as R. W. Fassbinder, was a German filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the major figures and catalysts of the New German Cinema movement. Fassbinder's main ...

's 1972 film ''

The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant ''The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant'' (german: Die bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant) is a 1972 West German romantic drama film written and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, based on his own play. Featuring an all-female cast, the plot tak ...

'', premiered at the 2022 Berlin Film Festival.Manori Ravindran
"Francois Ozon’s ‘Peter Von Kant’ to Open Berlin Film Festival"
''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', January 12, 2022.

Awards

* 1999:

Seattle International Film Festival The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees. The SIFF runs for more th ...

- Emerging Masters Showcase Award * 2004:

Filmfest Hamburg FILMFEST HAMBURG is an international film festival in Hamburg, the third-largest of its kind in Germany (after Berlin and Munich). It shows national and international feature and documentary films in eleven sections. The range of the program stret ...

- Douglas-Sirk-Award * 2006:

Frameline Film Festival The Frameline Film Festival (aka San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival) (formerly San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival; San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival) began as a storefront event in 1976. The first ...

- Frameline Award * 2011:

Jameson Dublin International Film Festival The Dublin International Film Festival (DIFF; ) is an annual film festival held in Dublin, Ireland, since 2003. History Dublin International Film Festival was established in 2003. It was revived by Michael Dwyer, international film critic and ' ...

- Career Achievement Award

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
François Ozon's official site

Senses of Cinema: Great Directors Critical Database

POTICHE Facebook Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ozon, Francois 1967 births Living people Best Director Lumières Award winners European Film Award for Best Screenwriter winners Film directors from Paris French film editors French film producers French male non-fiction writers French male screenwriters French screenwriters French-language film directors German-language film directors French gay writers LGBT film directors LGBT screenwriters Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Officiers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres