François Ozon
François Ozon is a French film director and screenwriter.
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. 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 and Swimming Pool. 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, as well as a group of French filmmakers associated with a cinema du corps.
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 A Summer Dress and Scènes de lit. His motion picture directing debut was Sitcom, which was well received by both critics and audiences.After the Fassbinder adaptation Water Drops on Burning Rocks came the film which made his name outside France, 8 Women, 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, the film became a huge commercial success.
In 2003, Swimming Pool, 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 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, starring Romola Garai, was released in 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 Garai and called her his "muse".
His film The Refuge had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2009.
Ozon was on the jury for the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival, held in February 2012.
His 2013 film Young & Beautiful was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. 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 Toronto International Film Festival in September 2014.
His film Peter von Kant, a gender-flipped reinterpretation of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's 1972 film The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, premiered at the 2022 Berlin Film Festival.
Awards
- 1999: Seattle International Film Festival - 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| Year | Title | Notes |
| 1991 | Peau contre peau | |
| 1991 | Le Trou madame | |
| 1995 | Jospin s'éclaire | Also editor |
Feature film
| Year | Title | Original French title | Director | Writer | Notes |
| 1997 | See the Sea | Regarde la mer | Medium-length film | ||
| 1998 | Sitcom | ||||
| 1999 | Criminal Lovers | Les amants criminels | L.A. Outfest - Grand Jury Award Sitges Film Festival - Best Screenplay | ||
| 2000 | Water Drops on Burning Rocks | Gouttes d'eau sur pierres brûlantes | 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 | Sous le sable | Nominated—César Award for Best Film Nominated—César Award for Best Director Nominated—European Film Award for Best Director | ||
| 2002 | 8 Women | 8 femmes | Lumière 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 Original Screenplay or Adaptation Nominated—European Film Award for Best Film Nominated—European Film Award for Best Screenwriter | ||
| 2003 | Swimming Pool | 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 | Cinq fois deux | Nominated—61st Venice International Film Festival - Golden Lion | ||
| 2005 | Time to Leave | Le Temps qui reste | Valladolid International Film Festival - Silver Spike Nominated—2005 Cannes Film Festival - Prix Un certain regard | ||
| 2007 | Angel | Nominated—57th Berlin International Film Festival - Golden Bear | |||
| 2009 | Ricky | Nominated—59th Berlin International Film Festival - Golden Bear | |||
| 2009 | The Refuge | Le refuge | San Sebastián International Film Festival - Special Jury Prize | ||
| 2010 | Potiche | 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 | Dans la maison | 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 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 | Jeune & Jolie | San Sebastián International Film Festival - TVE-Another Look Award Nominated—2013 Cannes Film Festival - Palme d'Or | ||
| 2014 | The New Girlfriend | Une nouvelle amie | San Sebastián International Film Festival - Sebastiane Award Prix Jacques Prévert du Scénario | ||
| 2016 | Frantz | Nominated—César Award for Best Film Nominated—César Award for Best Director Nominated—César Award for Best Adaptation Nominated—Globes de Cristal Award for Best Film Nominated—Louis Delluc Prize Nominated—Lumière Award for Best Screenplay | |||
| 2017 | Double Lover | L'Amant double | Nominated—2017 Cannes Film Festival - Palme d'Or | ||
| 2019 | By the Grace of God | Grâce à Dieu | Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize—69th Berlin International Film Festival Nominated—69th Berlin International Film Festival - Golden Bear Nominated—César Award for Best Film Nominated—César Award for Best Director Nominated—César Award for Best Original Screenplay | ||
| 2020 | Summer of 85 | Été 85 | Nominated—César Award for Best Film Nominated—César Award for Best Director Nominated—César Award for Best Adaptation | ||
| 2021 | Everything Went Fine | Tout s'est bien passé | Nominated—2021 Cannes Film Festival - Palme d'Or | ||
| 2022 | Peter von Kant | Nominated—72nd Berlin International Film Festival - Golden Bear | |||
| 2023 | The Crime Is Mine | Mon crime | |||
| 2024 | When Fall Is Coming | Quand vient l'automne | Jury Prize for Best Screenplay—72nd San Sebastián International Film Festival Nominated—72nd San Sebastián International Film Festival - Golden Shell | ||
| 2025 | The Stranger | L’Étranger | Nominated—82nd Venice International Film Festival - Golden Lion |