Alain Berbérian ( hy, Ալեն Բերբերյան; 2 July 1953 – 22 August 2017) was a French film director and writer of Armenian descent.

Biography

Born in Beirut to an Armenian father and a Greek mother, Berbérian spent his youth in Lebanon before finishing his studies in France. He was the brother of cartoonist

Charles Berberian Philippe Dupuy (born 12 December 1960, Sainte-Adresse) and Charles Berbérian (born 28 May 1959, Baghdad) are French cartoonists most famous for their series of Franco-Belgian comics albums featuring the character ''Monsieur Jean''. Their collab ...

. He began his career in the audiovisual field, working as an editor at

Canal+ Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...

. His first feature film was the comedy ''

La Cité de la peur ( "The City of Fear"), also known as ("The Les Nuls Movie"), is a 1994 French comedy film written by and starring Chantal Lauby, Alain Chabat and Dominique Farrugia of the comedy group Les Nuls, and directed by Alain Berbérian in 1994. Th ...

'', which was hit in France. Based on a script by

Les Nuls ''Les Nuls'' (also known as ''ABCD Nuls'') was a French group of comedians appearing between 1987 and 1992 on the channel Canal+. The actors Alain Chabat, Dominique Farrugia, Chantal Lauby and Bruno Carette Bruno Carette (1956–1989) was a Fre ...

, the film describes a series of murders in

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The ...

. Berbérian returned in 1998 with ''

Paparazzi Paparazzi (, ; ; singular: masculine paparazzo or feminine paparazza) are independent photographers who take pictures of high-profile people; such as actors, musicians, athletes, politicians, and other celebrities, typically while subjects ...

'', starring Vincent Lindon and

Patrick Timsit Patrick Timsit () is a French comedian, writer and film director. He has been nominated for four César Awards – three times as an actor and once as a writer. He is best known for the French comedy '' Un indien dans la ville''. In 2006, he p ...

. The film follows the life of a night watchman (Timsit) who is fired after being photographed at a soccer game, instead of being at his job. He then meets Michel (Lindon), who teaches him how to be a paparazzo. In 2000, Berbérian directed ''Six-Pack'', a thriller with

Richard Anconina Richard Anconina (; born 28 January 1953) is a French actor. He won the César Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1983, and for Best Actor in 1989. Filmography *1977 : ''Comment se faire réformer'' directed by Philippe Clair *1978 : ''Les Réfo ...

who stalks a serial-killer to the four corners of Paris. Returning in 2002 with the comedy ''

Le Boulet ''Le Boulet'' is a French action- comedy film directed by Alain Berbérian and Frédéric Forestier, released in 2002. Plot Moltès, a killer in prison, plays the lottery every week and sends the tickets with Reggio, a guard, so that the latte ...

'', starring

Gérard Lanvin Gérard Lanvin (; born 21 June 1950) is a César Award-winning French actor. He quit his studies when he was 17 to become an actor. He took on a role in '' Vous n'aurez pas l'Alsace et la Lorraine'' in 1977 on an offer from the actor Coluche. H ...

and

Benoît Poelvoorde Benoît Poelvoorde (, ; born 22 September 1964) is a Belgian actor and comedian. Early life His mother was a grocer and his father a driver, who died when Poelvoorde was still a minor. He attended the Jesuit Boarding School of Godinne before ...

, a prison guard (Poelvoorde) has to team up with a convict (Lanvin) to retrieve a lotto ticket from the latter. Then in 2004, Berbérian paired Christian Clavier and

Jean Reno Jean Reno () (born 30 July 1948), is a French actor. He has worked in American, French, English, Japanese, Spanish and Italian movie productions; Reno appeared in films such as '' Crimson Rivers'', ''Godzilla'', '' The Da Vinci Code'', '' Mission ...

in the comedy, '' The Corsican File'', based on a comic book of the same name by René Pétillon, in which a detective is responsible for locating a man living in

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

who is owed an inheritance. In 2007, he reunited Gérard Jugnot and Jean-Paul Rouve in ''L'Île aux trésors''.

Death

Berbérian died in Paris, France, on 22 August 2017, at the age of 64.

Filmography

Director

* 1989 : ''ABCD Nuls'' (TV series), with Les Nuls * 1990 : ''Histoire(s) de la télévision'' (TV series), with Les Nuls * 1990 : ''Les Nuls L'émission'' (TV series), with Les Nuls * 1994 : ''

, with Les Nuls * 1998 : ''

'', with Vincent Lindon * 2000 : ''Six-Pack'', with Richard Anconina * 2002 : ''

'' (Dead Weight), with Gérard Lanvin * 2004 : ''

L'Enquête Corse ''The Corsican File'' () is a 2004 French comedy film directed by Alain Berbérian. It is based on the comic book of the same name, one of the stories from the '' Jack Palmer'' series by René Pétillon. The film was produced by Gaumont and Lege ...

'' (The Corsican File), with Christian Clavier * 2007 : ''L'Île aux trésors'' (Treasured Island), with Gérard Jugnot

Writer

* 1998 : ''Six-Pack'', with

* 1997 : ''Paparazzi'', with Vincent Lindon

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Berberian, Alain 1953 births 2017 deaths Writers from Beirut French film directors French people of Armenian descent French people of Greek descent