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Francois Ozon

Born: November 15, 1967
Age: 56
Birthplace: Paris, France

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Biography

François Ozon (born 15 November 1967) is a French film director and screenwriter whose films are usually characterized by sharp satirical wit and a freewheeling view on human sexuality.

He has achieved international acclaim for his films 8 femmes (2002) and Swimming Pool (2003). Ozon is considered to be one of the most important French film directors in the new “New Wave” in French cinema such as Jean-Paul Civeyrac, Philippe Ramos, and Yves Caumon, as well as a group of French filmmakers associated with a "cinema du corps/cinema of the body".

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Life and career

Ozon was born in Paris, France. Having studied directing at the French film school La Femis, Ozon made several short films such as Une robe d'été (1996) and Scènes de lit (1998) that already display his defining style. His motion picture directing debut was Sitcom (also 1998), which was well received by both critics and audiences.

After the Fassbinder adaptation Gouttes d'eau sur pierres brûlantes (2000) came the film which made his name outside France, 8 femmes, starring icons of the French cinema such as 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, the film became a huge commercial success.

In 2003, Swimming Pool, which starred Charlotte Rampling and Ludivine Sagnier was released. It was considered by Ozon as 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 was screened at various film festivals worldwide.

Ozon's first full English-language production Angel starring Romola Garai (I Capture the Castle, Vanity Fair) was released in early 2007. The film, based on a novel by British writer Elizabeth Taylor, 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 Romola Garai and now calls her his 'muse.'

His film The Refuge had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2009.

On 19 December 2011 he was announced as being on the jury for the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival, which was held in February 2012.

His 2013 film Jeune & Jolie was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Ozon was elected as best screenwriter at the 2013 European Film Awards for his 2012 film In the House.

His 2014 film, The New Girlfriend, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2014.

Gay themes and characters

Ozon often features gay people in his films. Some examples include:

Une robe d'été: a young gay man strengthens his relationship with his boyfriend through a brief encounter with a woman and how her summer dress changed his sex drive.
Scènes de lit: this features a lesbian couple and a gay couple.
La petite mort: a gay man's relationship with his estranged father.
Sitcom: this spoof comedy has numerous lesbian and gay references. The family's son comes out, engages in sexual orgies and begins an affair with the maid's husband, a sports teacher. The maid, herself, finds out she's a lesbian and seems to have a relationship with the mother, who has tried to cure her son's homosexuality by sleeping with him - she, of course, fails.
Les amants criminels: the main male character is gay and in the closet; he kills his (male) object of desire out of jealousy and enjoys his relationship with an ogre-like man who's kidnapped him and his female friend who was, more or less, his beard
Gouttes d'eau sur pierres brûlantes: the two male characters, Léopold and Franz, are lovers - they are either gay or bisexual, while Véra, a former boyfriend of Léopold's, is now an M2F transsexual/trans woman.
8 femmes: one woman is lesbian and two others are bisexuals; the maid is ambiguous towards her female boss all the while she is her male boss's mistress. This film presents a lesbian kiss between Catherine Deneuve and Fanny Ardant. It's a gay cult movie in France.
5x2: a happy gay couple is used to highlight the unhappiness of the heterosexual couple in the film.
Le temps qui reste: this deals with the end of life of a young gay man dying of cancer.
Le Refuge: this film explores the relationship between a homosexual man and the pregnant girlfriend of his deceased brother.

Recurring actors

A number of actors have appeared more than once in Ozon's films. They include :

Sébastien Charles, who plays the lover of the main character in Robe d'été has appeared in numerous other Ozon movies (Scènes de lit/Les puceaux, Sitcom) and choreographed 5x2, 8 femmes, Gouttes d'eau sur pierres brûlantes and Robe d'été.
Sasha Hails, who appears Ozon's short films Une rose entre nous and Regarde la mer (along with her real-life daughter Samantha).
François Delaive appears in three Ozon's short films Thomas reconstituté, La petite mort, and in one of the segments of Scènes de lit.
Camille Japy in Le petit mort and Scènes de lit.
Évelyne Dandry in Sitcom and Potiche.
Marina de Van plays in Sitcom, Regarde la mer and has co-written Sous le sable and 8 femmes, as well as the poem "Bouche de Saïd" from Les amants criminels.
Charlotte Rampling plays in Swimming Pool, Sous le sable, Angel and Jeune & Jolie.
Ludivine Sagnier plays in three movies: Gouttes d'eau sur pierres brûlantes, 8 femmes, Swimming Pool.
Lucia Sanchez plays in three movies: Une robe d'été, Scènes de lit, Sitcom.
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, who is in both Le Temps qui reste and 5x2.
Catherine Deneuve, who is in both 8 femmes and Potiche
Melvil Poupaud, who is in both Le Temps qui reste and Le Refuge.
Jérémie Renier in Les amants criminels and Potiche.
Fabrice Luchini is in Potiche and Dans la maison.
Sergi López appears both in Ricky, and briefly in Potiche

Filmography

Year	Title	Credited as		Notes
Year	Title	Director	Screenwriter	Notes
1988	Photo de famille	Yes	Yes	Short film (also as editor and cinematographer)
1988	Les Doigts dans le ventre	Yes	Yes	Short film (also as editor, cinematographer and producer)
1990	Mes parents un jour d'été	Yes	Yes	Short film (also as producer)
1991	Une goutte de sang	Yes		Short film
1991	Peau contre peau (les risques inutiles)	Yes		Documentary short
1991	Le Trou madame	Yes		Documentary short
1991	Deux plus un	Yes		Short film
1992	Thomas reconstitué	Yes	Yes	Short film
1993	Victor	Yes	Yes	Short film
1994	Une rose entre nous	Yes	Yes	Short film (also as actor)
1994	Truth or Dare	Yes	Yes	Short film (also as editor) French Syndicate of Cinema Critics - Best Short Film
1995	Little Death	Yes	Yes	Short film
1995	Jospin s'éclaire	Yes		Documentary film (also as editor)
1996	Les Puceaux	Yes	Yes	Short film (aka "Scènes de lit. Les Puceaux")
1996	L'Homme idéal	Yes	Yes	Short film
1996	Une robe d'été	Yes	Yes	Short film L.A. Outfest - Audience Award for Outstanding Narrative Short Film Nominated—César Award for Best Short Film
1997	Regarde la mer	Yes	Yes	Medium-length film
1998	Sitcom	Yes	Yes
1998	Scènes de lit	Yes	Yes	Short film (also as editor) Avignon Film Festival - Prix Panavision
1998	X2000	Yes	Yes	Short film Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival - Special Mention of the Jury
1999	Criminal Lovers	Yes	Yes	L.A. Outfest - Grand Jury Award Sitges Film Festival - Best Screenplay
2000	Water Drops on Burning Rocks	Yes	Yes	50th Berlin International Film Festival - Teddy Award for Best Feature Film New York Lesbian and Gay Film Festival - Best Feature Film Nominated—50th Berlin International Film Festival - Golden Bear
2000	Under the Sand	Yes	Yes	Nominated—César Award for Best Film Nominated—César Award for Best Director Nominated—European Film Award for Best Director
2002	8 Women	Yes	Yes	Lumières Award for Best Director 52nd Berlin International Film Festival - Berliner Morgenpost Readers' Jury Award Nominated—52nd Berlin International Film Festival - Golden Bear Nominated—César Award for Best Film Nominated—César Award for Best Director Nominated—César Award for Best Writing Nominated—European Film Award for Best Film Nominated—European Film Award for Best Screenwriter
2003	Swimming Pool	Yes	Yes	Nominated—2003 Cannes Film Festival - Palme d'Or Nominated—Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Foreign Language Film Nominated—European Film Award for Best Film Nominated—European Film Academy People's Choice Award for Best European Film
2004	5x2	Yes	Yes	Nominated—61st Venice International Film Festival - Golden Lion
2005	Time to Leave	Yes	Yes	Valladolid International Film Festival - Silver Spike Nominated—2005 Cannes Film Festival - Prix Un certain regard
2006	A Curtain Raiser	Yes	Yes	Short film
2007	Quand la peur dévore l'âme	Yes		Short film (also as editor)
2007	Angel	Yes	Yes	Nominated—57th Berlin International Film Festival - Golden Bear
2009	Ricky	Yes	Yes	Nominated—59th Berlin International Film Festival - Golden Bear
2009	The Refuge	Yes	Yes	San Sebastián International Film Festival - Special Jury Prize
2010	Potiche	Yes	Yes	Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language Nominated—César Award for Best Adaptation Nominated—European Film Academy People's Choice Award for Best European Film Nominated—Globes de Cristal Award for Best Film Nominated—Magritte Award for Best Foreign Film in Coproduction Nominated—67th Venice International Film Festival - Golden Lion
2012	In the House	Yes	Yes	European Film Award for Best Screenwriter RiverRun International Film Festival - Best Narrative Feature RiverRun International Film Festival - Best Screenplay San Sebastián International Film Festival - Golden Shell San Sebastián International Film Festival - Best Screenplay 2012 Toronto International Film Festival - FIPRESCI Prize (Special Presentations) Nominated—César Award for Best Film Nominated—César Award for Best Director Nominated—César Award for Best Adaptation Nominated—European Film Award for Best Director Nominated—Gaudí Award for Best European Film Nominated—Goya Award for Best European Film Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Adapted Screenplay
2013	Young & Beautiful	Yes	Yes	San Sebastián International Film Festival - TVE-Another Look Award Nominated—2013 Cannes Film Festival - Palme d'Or
2014	The New Girlfriend	Yes	Yes	San Sebastián International Film Festival - Sebastiane Award Prix Jacques Prévert du Scénario
2016	Frantz	Yes	Yes

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