Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

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 ...

Dobermann The Dobermann (; ), or Doberman Pinscher in the United States and Canada, is a medium-large breed of domestic dog that was originally developed around 1890 by Louis Dobermann, a tax collector from Germany.Blueberry, l'experience secrete'' (2004) and ''

99 francs ''99 Francs'' is a 2000 novel by French writer Frédéric Beigbeder. The book was released in France on August 2000 through Grasset & Fasquelle and has since been re-released under the titles ''€ 14.99'' and ''€ 5.90''. Shortly after the book ...

'' (2007). Outside France he is better known for his interest in

Shipibo-Conibo The Shipibo-Conibo are an indigenous people along the Ucayali River in the Amazon rainforest in Peru. Formerly two groups, the Shipibo and the Conibo, they eventually became one distinct tribe through intermarriage and communal ritual and are c ...

culture and

shamanism Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a Spirit world (Spiritualism), spirit world through Altered state of consciousness, altered states of consciousness, such as tranc ...

, with which he became familiar during his trips to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, and for directing some music videos of which, the most notable are the four videos he did for the English pop group

Erasure Erasure () is an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keyboardist Vince Clarke, previously known as co-founder of the band Depeche Mode and a membe ...

in the 1990s (including three for the project

Abba-esque ''Abba-esque'' is an extended play (EP) by British synth-pop duo Erasure. Released on 1 June 1992, the EP was Erasure's first and only number one on the UK Singles Chart and also became a number-one hit in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, I ...

) : ''Lay all your love on me'' (1992), ''Voulez-vous ''(1992), ''S.O.S.'' (1992) and ''Always'' (1994).

Biography

After studying at the Ecole des Arts Décoratifs in

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

, where he directed his first short films, Jan Kounen began work as assistant operator and director of music videos and documentaries. In 1989, he made the short film ''Gisele Kerosene'', crowned Grand Prix in the category of

Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival The Avoriaz International Fantastic Film Festival (french: Festival international du film fantastique d'Avoriaz) was a film festival held in the French resort of Avoriaz between 1973 and 1993. It was the precursor to the current Gérardmer Inter ...

. In the early 90s, Kounen worked in advertising and made two highly acclaimed short films, ''Vibroboy'' and ''

Little Red Riding Hood "Little Red Riding Hood" is a European fairy tale about a young girl and a sly wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th century European folk tales. The two best known versions were written by Charles Perrault and the Brother ...

'', the latter seeing him work with

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

. In 1996, he made his first feature film, ''

Dobermann The Dobermann (; ), or Doberman Pinscher in the United States and Canada, is a medium-large breed of domestic dog that was originally developed around 1890 by Louis Dobermann, a tax collector from Germany.Vincent Cassel Vincent Cassel (; ; born 23 November 1966) is a French actor. He first achieved recognition for his performance as a troubled History of the Jews in France, French Jewish youth in Mathieu Kassovitz's 1995 film ''La Haine (Hate)'', for which he ...

. In the 2000s, Jan Kounen traveled across

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, where he immersed in shaman culture, and participated in ayahuasca ceremonies around a hundred times. His next film was ''

Blueberry Blueberries are a widely distributed and widespread group of perennial flowering plants with blue or purple berries. They are classified in the section ''Cyanococcus'' within the genus ''Vaccinium''. ''Vaccinium'' also includes cranberries, bi ...

'' (2004), an adaptation of the famous comic strip by

Jean-Michel Charlier Jean-Michel Charlier (; 30 October 1924 – 10 July 1989) was a Belgian comics writer. He was a co-founder of the famed Franco-Belgian comics magazine ''Pilote''. Life Charlier was born in Liège, Belgium, in 1924.De Weyer, Geert (2005). ...

and

Jean Giraud Jean Henri Gaston Giraud (; 8 May 1938 – 10 March 2012) was a French artist, cartoonist, and writer who worked in the Bandes dessinées, Franco-Belgian ''bandes dessinées'' (BD) tradition. Giraud garnered worldwide acclaim under the pseu ...

, better known as Moebius, with

Vincent Cassel Vincent Cassel (; ; born 23 November 1966) is a French actor. He first achieved recognition for his performance as a troubled History of the Jews in France, French Jewish youth in Mathieu Kassovitz's 1995 film ''La Haine (Hate)'', for which he ...

in the title role. The same year, he released ''Other Worlds'' (2005), a documentary about shamanism. After making his film ''Darshan - The Embrace (2005)'', Kounen staged the ''Comedy 99 F'' in 2007, a satire of the world of advertising adapted from the bestseller by

Frédéric Beigbeder Frédéric Beigbeder (; born 21 September 1965) is a French writer, literary critic and television presenter. He won the Prix Interallié in 2003 for his novel ''Windows on the World'' and the Prix Renaudot in 2009 for his book ''Un roman françai ...

and produced by

Jean Dujardin Jean Edmond Dujardin (; born 19 June 1972) is a French actor and comedian. He began his career as a stand-up comedian in Paris before guest starring in comedic television programmes and films. He first came to prominence with the cult TV series ...

. After participating in the ''Project 8'' where he campaigned to improve maternal health in the world, he made ''

Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky ''Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky'' is a 2009 French romantic drama film directed by Jan Kounen. It was chosen as the Closing Film of the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, and was shown on 24 May 2009. ''Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky'' is based on the 2 ...

'' (2009), a biographical film about the relationship between

Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French high-end luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. Chanel specializes in women's ready-to-wear, luxury goods, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear. Chanel is ...

, the French fashion designer, and

Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...

, the Russian composer, starring

Anna Mouglalis Anna Mouglalis ( el, Άννα Μουγλάλη; born 26 April 1978) is a French actress and model. She is known for being a house ambassador for Chanel since 2002, and for portraying the fashion designer Coco Chanel in the 2009 film '' Coco Chan ...

and Mads Mikkelsen. The film closed the 2009 Cannes Festival. In 2009, Kounen signed a petition in support of film director

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański , group=lower-alpha, name=note_a (né Liebling; 18 August 1933) is a French-Polish film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two ...

, calling for his release after Polanski was arrested in Switzerland in relation to his 1977 charge for drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl.

Filmography

*''Les aventures de Jeff Blizzard'' (1986) *''The Broadsword'' (1986) *''Soft'' (1986) *''Het journaal'' (1987) *''Het virus'' (1987) *''Gisele Kerozene'' (1989) *''L'âge de plastic'' (1991) *''Capitaine X'' (a.k.a. ''Né pour mourir'', 1994) *''Vibroboy'' (1993) with

Michel Vuillermoz Michel Vuillermoz (born 18 December 1962) is a French actor and scriptwriter. Vuillermoz has appeared in more than 100 films and 40 plays. In 1998, he received two Molière Award: Best Male Newcomer and Best Play for ''André le Magnifique''. ...

*''

Dobermann The Dobermann (; ), or Doberman Pinscher in the United States and Canada, is a medium-large breed of domestic dog that was originally developed around 1890 by Louis Dobermann, a tax collector from Germany. *''D'autres mondes'' (a.k.a. ''Other Worlds'', documentary film, 2004) *''Another Reality'' (TV documentary series, 2003) *'' Blueberry, l'expérience secrète'' (a.k.a. ''Blueberry'', 2004) *''Darshan - L'étreinte'' (a.k.a. ''Darshan: The Embrace'', documentary film, 2005) *''

99 Francs ''99 Francs'' is a 2000 novel by French writer Frédéric Beigbeder. The book was released in France on August 2000 through Grasset & Fasquelle and has since been re-released under the titles ''€ 14.99'' and ''€ 5.90''. Shortly after the book ...

'' (2007) *''The Story of Panshin Beka'', short, segment of the movie ''8'' (2008) *''

Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky ''Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky'' is a 2009 French romantic drama film directed by Jan Kounen. It was chosen as the Closing Film of the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, and was shown on 24 May 2009. ''Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky'' is based on the 2 ...

'' (2009) *'' Flight of the Storks'' (television film, 2012) *''Vape Wave'' (documentary film, 2015) *'' Mère Océan'' (documentary film, 2016) *'' Mon Cousin'' (a.k.a. ''My Cousin'', 2020) Sources:

Bibliography

As author: * As co-author: * * * * *

References

External links

*
Jan Kounen, distinguished members of INREES
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kounen, Jan 1964 births Living people Dutch film directors Dutch film producers French film directors Mass media people from Utrecht (city) Dutch emigrants to France