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

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

and

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

. 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'' (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 and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...

'' (2003). He is considered one of the most important directors in the new "New Wave" in French cinema, along with Jean-Paul Civeyrac, Philippe Ramos, and

Yves Caumon Yves Caumon (born 27 May 1964) is a cinema of France, French Film director, director. He is Professor in Toulouse's University in France. He worked as assistant-director with Agnès Varda, and Jean-Paul Civeyrac. He directed several short movies ...

, 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 city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Having studied directing at the French film school La Femis, Ozon made several short films such as '' A Summer Dress'' (''Une robe d'été'', 1996) and ''Scènes de lit'' (1998). His motion picture directing debut was ''

Sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

'' (also 1998), which was well received by both critics and audiences. After the Fassbinder adaptation '' Water Drops on Burning Rocks'' (''Gouttes d'eau sur pierres brûlantes'', 2000) came the film which made his name outside France, '' 8 Women'' (''8 femmes'', 2002), starring Catherine Deneuve, Fanny Ardant, Isabelle Huppert and Emmanuelle Béart. 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 (film industry), Hollywood melodramas of the 1950s. However, he also directed comedies, westerns, and war f ...

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

'', starring Charlotte Rampling and Ludivine Sagnier, 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''. His next film, '' Time to Leave'' (''Le temps qui reste'') (which one critic said explored the question "how does a frivolous person deal with his own mortality?") screened at film festivals worldwide in 2005, and in 2006 it was distributed in the U.S. Ozon's first full English-language production, ''

Angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

'', starring Romola Garai, 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 an English and 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 19 ...

, 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 most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

in September 2009. Ozon was on the jury for the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival, held in February 2012. His 2013 film '' Young & Beautiful'' (''Jeune & Jolie'') was nominated for the

Palme d'Or The (; ) is the highest prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festiv ...

at the

2013 Cannes Film Festival The 66th Cannes Film Festival took place from 15 to 26 May 2013. American filmmaker Steven Spielberg was the Jury President for the main competition. French actress Audrey Tautou hosted the opening and closing ceremonies. The French film ''Blu ...

. 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'', 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, dramatist and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the major figures and catalysts of the New German Cinema moveme ...

's 1972 film '' The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant'', premiered at the 2022 Berlin Film Festival.Manori Ravindran
"Francois Ozon’s ‘Peter Von Kant’ to Open Berlin Film Festival"
'' Variety'', January 12, 2022.

Awards

* 1999:

Seattle International Film Festival The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) is a film festival held annually in Seattle, Washington, United States, since 1976. It usually takes place in late May and/or early June. It is one of the largest festivals in the world, and feature ...

- Emerging Masters Showcase Award * 2004: Filmfest Hamburg - Douglas-Sirk-Award * 2006: Frameline Film Festival - Frameline Award * 2011: Jameson Dublin International Film Festival - Career Achievement Award

Filmography

Short film

Documentary shorts

Feature film

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 gay writers French LGBTQ film directors French LGBTQ screenwriters French-language film directors German-language film directors Gay screenwriters LGBTQ film producers Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Officiers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres 20th-century French male writers 21st-century French male writers 20th-century French screenwriters 21st-century French screenwriters 20th-century French LGBTQ people 21st-century French LGBTQ people La Fémis alumni