Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire (born 31 December 1968) is a French

filmmaker Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

, producer and screenwriter. He is best known as the director of films '' Johnny Mad Dog'', '' A Prayer Before Dawn'' and '' Asphalt City''.

Personal life

Sauvaire was born on 31 December 1968 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 ...

. He currently lives in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Career

In 1991, Sauvaire started his film career as a first assistant director of the film ''Les Nuits Fauves'' by Cyril Collard. Then he joined the crew for the films ''Les Demons de Jesus'' and ''Les Grandes Bouches'', directed by Bernie Bonvoisin; '' I Stand Alone'' directed by

Gaspar Noé Gaspar Noé (; ; born 27 December 1963) is an Argentine filmmaker, who lives and worked primarily in France. He is one of the primary exponents of New French Extremity, with his most notable works including the feature films '' I Stand Alone'' ...

; ''Sous Les Pieds Des Femmes'', directed by Rachida Krim; ''Hors Jeu'', directed by Karim Dridi; ''Louise (Take 2)'', directed by Siegfried; and ''Love Me'', directed by Laetitia Masson. He continued to work as an assistant director until 2000. At the end of 2000, he directed his three short films, ''La Mule'' (co-directed with Rossy De Palma), ''A Dios'', and ''Matalo''. In all three, he used the theme of violence among adolescents. In 2008, he made the film '' Johnny Mad Dog'', co-produced with

Mathieu Kassovitz Mathieu Kassovitz () is a French actor, film director, film producer and screenwriter. He has won three César Awards: Most Promising Actor for '' See How They Fall'' (1994), and Best Film and Best Editing for '' La Haine'' (1995). He also re ...

. The film was later presented in the Official Selection, '

Un Certain Regard (; 'A Certain Glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films with unusua ...

' section at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

, and won the Prix de l'Espoir. The film was an adaptation of the novel ''Johnny Chien Méchant'' by Congolese writer

Emmanuel Dongala Emmanuel Boundzéki Dongala (born 1941) is a Congolese chemist and novelist. He was born in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, in 1941. He was Richard B. Fisher Chair in Natural Sciences at Bard College at Simon's Rock until 2014. As a chemist, hi ...

. It tells the story of a group of

child soldiers Children in the military, including state armed forces, non-state armed groups, and other military organizations, may be trained for combat, assigned to support roles, such as cooks, porters/couriers, or messengers, or used for tactical adv ...

fighting for the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) rebels in 2003, during the latter part of the

Second Liberian Civil War The Second Liberian Civil War was a civil war in the West African nation of Liberia that lasted from 1999 to 2003. The war was mainly caused by transition failures after the First Civil War, especially the peace-building process which would res ...

. After the success of the film, Sauvaire directed the telefilm ''Punk'' in 2012, which was co-produced by Arte, with Paul Bartel and

Béatrice Dalle Béatrice Dalle (born 19 December 1964) is a French actress and model. She has appeared in over fifty films and is best known internationally for her debut role in the 1986 film '' 37°2 le matin'' (also released as ''Betty Blue''). Béatrice Da ...

. In 2017, he made the film '' A Prayer Before Dawn'', which was adapted from the story of Billy Moore. The film received an official selection at the 70th Cannes Film Festival in 2017. In 2023, Sauvaire directed '' Black Flies'', an adaptation of the eponymous novel by Shannon Burke, with

Sean Penn Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He is known for his intense leading man roles in film. List of awards and nominations received by Sean Penn, His accolades include two Academy Awards, a Golden Gl ...

and

Tye Sheridan Tye Kayle Sheridan (born November 11, 1996) is an American actor. He made his feature film debut in Terrence Malick's experimental drama film ''The Tree of Life (film), The Tree of Life'' (2011) and had his first leading role in Jeff Nichols's ...

. The film was selected in competition at the 76th Cannes Film Festival in 2023.

Filmography

References

External links

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‘A Prayer Before Dawn’ Director Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire Boards WWII Survival Story ‘Jungle Soldier’
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sauvaire, Jean-Stéphane 1968 births Living people 21st-century French male writers 21st-century French screenwriters Cinematographers from Paris Film directors from Paris French male screenwriters Writers from Paris