Famous French Screenwriters

Luc Besson is a French film director, producer, and screenwriter. He started working in the film industry as an assistant to famous directors and learned the nuances of direction. He then moved on to direct films and launched his own production company. He is considered a key figure in the Cinéma du look movement. 

The Paris-born French-Swiss director and screenwriter had the reputation of adding new dimensions to filmmaking with his experimentation, a trend which came to be known as the French New Wave. The director of acclaimed films like Breathless, My Life to Live and Pierrot le Fou, Jean-Luc Godard was married to actress Anna Karina. He is regarded as an all-time great director.

Chilean-French filmmaker and artist, Alejandro Jodorowsky, is best known for his avant-garde films. A multifaceted personality, he is also a novelist, poet, musician, composer, and spiritual guru. His films are filled with surreal images and mysticism. A much-revered figure in international cinema, he is the recipient of the Jack Smith Lifetime Achievement Award from the Chicago Underground Film Festival (CUFF).

A lifelong fan of horror books and movies, especially of Stephen King, three-time Oscar nominated film director and screenwriter Frank Darabont decided to take up film making as his profession after seeing THX 1138. Beginning his career with screenwriting, he debuted as director with Buried Alive, eventually making such magnificent films like Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile and The Mist.

Born into a family of horse breeders, actor, director and screenwriter Guillaume Canet aspired to become a show jumper. However, a fall at the age of eighteen steered his destiny towards acting and very soon he was staring in films like Joyeux Noël and The Beach.  Eventually he also started directing; winning several awards for his 2006 production, Tell No One.  

François Truffaut was a French film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is credited to be one of the founders of the French New Wave. Beginning his career in the mid-1950s, he was active in the entertainment industry for close to three decades. His film The 400 Blows is considered a defining film of the French New Wave movement. 

Anna Karina was a Danish-French film actress, singer, and director. She often collaborated with French New Wave director Jean-Luc Godard and appeared in many of his films, including My Life to Live and Bande à part. She set up her own production company in 1972 and made her directorial debut with Vivre ensemble. She was also a published author. 

Roger Vadim was a French film director, producer, screenwriter, and artist. He is remembered for his visually aesthetic movies with erotic qualities. He was also popular for his relationships with beautiful actresses like Catherine Deneuve, Cindy Pickett, and Margaret Markov. Also an author, Vadim wrote several books, including his autobiography, From One Star to the Next.

Agnes Varda was a Belgian-born French film director, screenwriter, and artist. She was a key figure in the development of the French New Wave film movement of the 1950s and 1960s. She often made films addressing women’s issues and other social justice problems. She was honored with an Academy Honorary Award. She was married to director Jacques Demy. 

Pressured by her mother, actress-cum-filmmaker Maiwenn began her acting career at a very tender age, making her mark with the role of Elle, as a child, in One Deadly Summer. Continuing to perform, she took a hiatus after her marriage, eventually returning to acting, starring in movies like High Tension before venturing into film-direction; she quickly achieved international recognition with Polisse

Jean Renoir was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer. The son of the prominent painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Jean was one of the first filmmakers to be known as an auteur. He started working during the silent film era and made more than 40 silent films. In 1975, he received a Lifetime Achievement Academy Award.

Mathieu Kassovitz is a French actor, film producer, director, and screenwriter. He has won the prestigious César Award on three occasions so far. He has also received nominations for Lumières Awards and Palme d'Or. Mathieu Kassovitz is credited with founding the film production company, MNP Entreprise.

Jamel Debbouze is a French-Moroccan comedian, actor, film producer, director, and screenwriter. Renowned for his stand-up comedy sketches, Debbouze is also known for his collaboration with notable French humourists like Fred Testot, Florence Foresti, and Gad Elmaleh. Jamel Debbouze is credited with creating the popular television show Jamel Comedy Club.

Yvan Attal is an Israeli-French actor, director, and screenwriter best known for his work in the film My Wife Is an Actress, for which he received a Cesar Award nomination. He acted in one segment of the film New York, I Love You, and directed another. He also dubs and has dubbed for Tom Cruise’s character in many films.    

Dany Boon is a French actor, film producer, director, and screenwriter. He started his career as a comedian in the 1990s and found success in 2008, when he directed and starred in a comedy film titled Welcome to the Sticks. Dany Boon has also acted in several one-man shows, such as Les Zacros de la télé and Tout entier.

Jean-Jacques Annaud is a French film producer, director, and screenwriter. He is best known for directing critically acclaimed films like Quest for Fire, The Name of the Rose, The Bear, and The Lover. Over the course of his career, Jean-Jacques Annaud has won several prestigious awards, such as César Awards and National Academy of Cinema Award.

Jean-Marc Barr is a French American actor and film director. He came into prominence in 1988, when he portrayed Jacques Mayol in the French film The Big Blue, which earned several nominations at the César Awards. Jean-Marc Barr went on to play prominent roles in critically acclaimed films like Europa, The Favourite Son, and Breaking the Waves.

Christian Clavier is a French actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. He achieved popularity after playing important roles in Les Bronzés and Les Visiteurs. In addition to acting, Christian Clavier also operates a production company called Ouille Production.

Alain Chabat is a French actor, director, producer, comedian, screenwriter, and television presenter. He came into prominence in 1987, when he formed the comedy group, Les Nuls. Alain Chabat's popularity increased in 1997, when he wrote and directed a comedy film titled Didier in which he played the title role. The film won him the César Award for Best Debut.

Michel Hazanavicius is a French film producer, director, editor, and screenwriter. He is best known for writing and directing the 2011 comedy-drama film The Artist, which won the Oscar for Best Picture and Best Director at the 84th Academy Awards. The film also earned him several other awards, including BAFTA Award, César Award, and New York Film Critics Circle Award.

Jacques Audiard is a French film producer, director, and screenwriter. He is best known for directing critically acclaimed movies, such as See How They Fall, A Self-Made Hero, Read My Lips, A Prophet, and Rust and Bone. Over the years, Jacques Audiard has been honored with several prestigious awards, such as César Awards, BAFTA Awards, and Lumières Awards.

André Weinfeld is a TV and film producer, cinematographer, director, screenwriter, journalist, and photographer. In addition to covering the rock and roll and pop scenes of the 1960s and 1970s, André Weinfeld also worked as a war correspondent, covering wars such as the Six-Day War, Vietnam War, and the Yom Kippur War.

Henri-Georges Clouzot was a French film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best remembered for making thriller films, such as Les Diaboliques and The Wages of Fear, which are counted among the greatest movies of the 1950s. Henri-Georges Clouzot is also remembered for directing documentaries like The Mystery of Picasso, which was adjudged a national treasure by the French government.