Michel Hazanavicius ( ; born 29 March 1967) is a French film director, screenwriter, editor, and producer. He is best known for his 2011 film, The Artist, that won the Best Picture and the Best Director at the 84th Academy Awards. He also directed spy film parodies OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2006) and OSS 117: Lost in Rio (2009).
Early life
Hazanavicius was born in Paris. His family is Jewish, and originally from Lithuania. His grandparents were from both Poland and Lithuania and settled in France in the 1920s.: ...French native, whose grandparents are from Poland and Lithuania
Career Before directing films, Hazanavicius worked in television, beginning with the Canal+ channel, where he started as a director in 1988.Michel Hazanavicius. Allocine. He began directing commercials for companies such as Reebok and Bouygues Telecom, and then, in 1993, he made his first feature-length film, La Classe américaine, for television. The film, co-directed with Dominique Mézerette, consisted entirely of footage taken from various films produced by the Warner Bros. studio, re-edited and dubbed into French. In 1997, Hazanavicius directed his first short film, Echec au capital, and followed it up with his first theatrically released feature, Mes amis, which starred his brother, actor Serge Hazanavicius.
Seven years later, Hazanavicius wrote and directed his second feature, OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies, a parody of 1960s spy movies and specifically of OSS 117, a popular character created by Jean Bruce in 1949. The $17.5 million film was a modest box office success, with $23 million worldwide receipts.OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies. Box Office Mojo. A sequel, OSS 117: Lost in Rio, followed in 2009. Both films were later distributed in the United States by Music Box Films.
The Artist, a black and white film without dialogue which takes place in Hollywood on the eve of sound film, screened in competition at the 2011 Cannes International Film Festival. The Artist was later released to universal acclaim. On 24 January 2012 Hazanavicius received nominations for three Oscars: the Academy Awards for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing. Hazanavicius said winning an Oscar would be "like dreaming of going to the moon – you don't really believe it could ever happen." Hazanavicius won the Academy Award for Best Director for The Artist, at the 84th Academy Awards. He was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in June 2012 along with 175 other individuals.
He contributed a section to the omnibus film The Players (Les Infidèles) starring Jean Dujardin. He then announced that his next feature film would be a remake of the 1948 Fred Zinnemann film The Search. The film stars Berenice Bejo in the Montgomery Clift role as an NGO worker helping a little boy find his family in modern-day Chechnya and was produced by Thomas Langmann. Golden Globe Award actress winner Annette Bening also stars in the film.
Personal life Hazanavicius was in a relationship with film director Virginia Lovisone, and they have two daughters together, Simone and Fantine. He is married to Bérénice Bejo, who acted in his films OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies, The Artist and The Search. Hazanavicius and Bejo have two children together: Lucien and Gloria.
Filmography Feature films Year English TitleOriginal titleNotes1999Mes amis 2006 OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of SpiesOSS 117 : Le Caire, nid d'espions 2009 OSS 117: Lost in RioOSS 117 : Rio ne répond plus 2011 The Artist 2012 The PlayersLes Infidèles Omnibus film 2014 The Search Remake of The Search 2017 RedoubtableLe Redoutable 2020 The Lost PrinceLe prince oublié 2022 Final CutCoupez!2024The Most Precious of CargoesLa Plus Précieuse des marchandisesAnimated filmTBA The Third HandPost-production
Short films Year(s) Title 1997 Echec au capital
Television Year(s) TitleNotes1992 Derrick contre Superman Television short Ca détourneTelevision movie 1993 La Classe américaine 1994 C'est pas le 20 heures Television series 1996 Les films qui sortent le lendemain dans les salles de cinéma Documentary television series
Awards Award Year Category Film ResultAcademy Awards2012 Best DirectorThe Artist Best Original Screenplay Best Film Editing Alliance of Women Film Journalists2012 Best Director Best Original Screenplay Best Editing Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA)2012 Best Direction – International Best Screenplay – International BAFTA Award2012 Best Director Best Original Screenplay Best Editing Boston Society of Film Critics Award2011 Best Director Cannes Film Festival2011 Palme d'Or César Awards2008 Best Adaptation OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies 2012 Best DirectorThe Artist Best Original Screenplay Best Editing 2018 Best DirectorRedoubtable Best Adaptation Chicago Film Critics Association2012 Best DirectorThe Artist Best Original Screenplay Critics' Choice Movie Awards2012 Best Director Best Original Screenplay Best Editing Denver Film Critics Society2012 Best Director (tied with Terrence Malick) Detroit Film Critics Society2011 Best Director Best Screenplay Directors Guild Awards2012 Outstanding Achievement in Directing in a Theatrical Release Etoiles d'or Award2012 Best Director Florida Film Critics Circle2011 Best Original Screenplay Golden Globe Awards2012 Best Director – Motion Picture Best Screenplay Houston Film Critics Society2011 Best Director Best Screenplay Best Foreign Film Independent Spirit Awards2012 Best Director Best Screenplay London Film Critics' Circle2012 Director of the Year Screenwriter of the Year New York Film Critics Circle Awards2011 Best Director New York Film Critics Online2011 Oklahoma Film Critics Circle2011 Best Original Screenplay Online Film Critics Society2012 Best Director Phoenix Film Critics Society2011 Best Director Best Original Screenplay Best Film Editing Breakthrough Behind The Camera Satellite Awards2011 Best Director Best Original Screenplay Seattle International Film Festival2006 Seattle International Film Festival Golden Space Needle AwardOSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies Tokyo International Film Festival2006 Tokyo International Film Festival Tokyo Grand Prix Globes de Cristal Award2007 Globes de Cristal Award for Best Film Vancouver Film Critics Circle2011 Best DirectorThe Artist Best Screenplay Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association2011 Best Director
See also List of French Academy Award winners and nominees
References
External links
Michel Hazanavicius at WN