Michel Hazanavicius Biography

Occup.Director
FromFrance
BornMarch 29, 1967
Age57 years
Early Life and Education
Michel Hazanavicius was born on March 29, 1967, in Paris, France, into a Lithuanian Jewish household. His dad, Natan Hazanavicius, was a movie director, while his mother, Irène Hazanavicius, worked as a costume designer. His interest in filmmaking began at a young age, and he pursued this enthusiasm by registering at the prestigious École Nationale Supérieure des Métiers de l'Image et du Son (FEMIS) in Paris, from where he finished in 1988.

Early Career
After finishing his research studies, Hazanavicius worked as a television director and film writer, primarily focusing on comedy sketches and short films. He gained recognition for his work directing a series of ads for the French fast-food chain, Quick, which featured a popular French comic character, Derrick.

Feature Films and Rise to Fame
In 1999, Hazanavicius directed his very first function film, "Mes Amis", a funny that starred Yves Robert, Édouard Baer, and Charlotte Gainsbourg. While the movie got blended reviews, it showed Hazanavicius's talent for visual storytelling and developed his track record as a director to watch.

His worldwide breakthrough can be found in 2006 with the release of "OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies", a comedy spy movie starring Jean Dujardin as the French secret representative OSS 117. The film, which was both a critical and industrial success, spawned a sequel, "OSS 117: Lost in Rio", released in 2009. Both movies showcased Hazanavicius's distinct capability to combine humor, action, and an elegant visual perceptiveness.

The Artist and International Acclaim
In 2011, Hazanavicius directed "The Artist", a silent black-and-white movie that homaged the golden age of Hollywood cinema. Starring Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo, the film received extensive vital honor and went on to win many awards, consisting of Best Picture, Best Director for Hazanavicius, and Best Actor for Dujardin at the 84th Academy Awards. "The Artist" catapulted Hazanavicius to international renown and strengthened his status as one of the most innovative filmmakers of his generation.

Later On Works and Current Projects
Following the success of "The Artist", Hazanavicius directed numerous other high-profile tasks, including "The Search" (2014), a war drama embeded in Chechnya, starring Bérénice Bejo and Annette Bening. In 2017, he launched "Redoubtable", a biographical drama about the troubled relationship between filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard and actress Anne Wiazemsky, throughout the making of the film "La Chinoise".

Hazanavicius continues to work on various film tasks both as a director and a screenwriter. He has actually revealed interest in returning to his comedic roots, commenting that he wants to explore originalities within the category that catapulted him to popularity.

Personal Life, Family, and Collaborators
In addition to his professional partnerships with Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo, who appeared in several films directed by Hazanavicius, he has actually likewise worked together with distinguished cinematographers such as Guillaume Schiffman and author Ludovic Bource.

Hazanavicius is married to Bérénice Bejo, with whom he has two children. The couple fulfilled while working on the movie "OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies" and became included quickly thereafter.

In conclusion, Michel Hazanavicius stands as one of the most inventive and influential filmmakers working today. With an impressive body of work that consists of both funnies and dramas, he has actually securely developed his place in the contemporary world of cinema, both within France and globally.

Our collection contains 20 quotes who is written / told by Michel.

Related authors: Berenice Bejo (Actress), Annette Bening (Actress), Jean-Luc Godard (Director), Jean Dujardin (Actor), Charlotte Gainsbourg (Actress), Lawrence Taylor (Athlete)

20 Famous quotes by Michel Hazanavicius

Small: When you look at the early-30s movies, like King Kong, the codes of acting are very similar to those of
"When you look at the early-'30s movies, like King Kong, the codes of acting are very similar to those of silent movies. In some of the silent movies - the good ones, the ones done by the best directors - the acting is very, very natural"
Small: When we were making the movie, winning awards for it wasnt the point at all. We didnt even have an Amer
"When we were making the movie, winning awards for it wasn't the point at all. We didn't even have an American distributor"
Small: Theres always been a struggle with filmmakers between art and industry, and you have to find a balance
"There's always been a struggle with filmmakers between art and industry, and you have to find a balance"
Small: Its just incredible. When youre French, coming from a non-English language country, you dont even dream
"It's just incredible. When you're French, coming from a non-English language country, you don't even dream about Oscar recognition or nominations. It's just beyond the dream. It's something very, very special and unique. It's the highest recognition any filmmaker could dream of"
Small: Hollywood is much more than America. Hollywood belongs to all of the planet
"Hollywood is much more than America. Hollywood belongs to all of the planet"
Small: When youre with your wife, you dont say I love you to your wife every day but the ways you look at her
"When you're with your wife, you don't say I love you to your wife every day but the ways you look at her and your actions are another way to communicate. Don't focus on dialogue, only focus on what you're expressing"
Small: I try to respect the rules of the silent movies and I tried to make signification to make sense, and al
"I try to respect the rules of the silent movies and I tried to make signification to make sense, and also the crew were very good and the fact that we shot in LA in the real Hollywood, studios and houses. We shot in the bed of Mary Pickford, and you cannot be any more accurate than that, so that helped a lot"
Small: I always loved silent movies. I was not a specialist, but I loved them. And when I started directing, I
"I always loved silent movies. I was not a specialist, but I loved them. And when I started directing, I became really fascinated by the format - how it works, the device of the silent movie. It's not the same form of expression as a talkie. The lack of sounds makes you participate in the storytelling"
Small: Sometimes when an actor says something almost perfect, but you know you have to edit it, if you tell th
"Sometimes when an actor says something almost perfect, but you know you have to edit it, if you tell them to change something immediately, it will come out great"
Small: I watched a lot of silent directors who were absolutely great like John Ford and Fritz Lang, Tod Browni
"I watched a lot of silent directors who were absolutely great like John Ford and Fritz Lang, Tod Browning, and also some very modern directors like The Coen Brothers. The directors take the freedom within their own movies to be melodramatic or funny when they chose to be. They do whatever they want and they don't care about the genre"
Small: I think we are at the very beginning of high changes, not only in terms of digital film, but in the way
"I think we are at the very beginning of high changes, not only in terms of digital film, but in the way the movies will be screened, whether they'll be screened on phones, on computers - on everything"
Small: This is the problem with language, and this is what makes silent movies fun, because the connection wit
"This is the problem with language, and this is what makes silent movies fun, because the connection with them, me or the audience is not with the language. There's no question of interpretation of what we are saying it's just about feeling. You create your own story"
Small: When you do not have the dialogue to explain things, you will use everything to show and to tell the st
"When you do not have the dialogue to explain things, you will use everything to show and to tell the story. I think that this is what makes you believe that it is impeccable"
Small: To me the recognition of the audience is part of the filmmaking process. When you make a movie, its for
"To me the recognition of the audience is part of the filmmaking process. When you make a movie, it's for them"
Small: Sure, I watched a lot of Hollywood movies. Maybe Ive seen more Hollywood movies than French movies
"Sure, I watched a lot of Hollywood movies. Maybe I've seen more Hollywood movies than French movies"
Small: Its about storytelling. The story is told through images. So with the cast, I had to make sure that the
"It's about storytelling. The story is told through images. So with the cast, I had to make sure that the emotions were readable without sound... I know some great actors, if you turn off the sound, you don't really know what they're saying"
Small: I think being a foreigner and talking about Hollywood allowed me to use some cliches and some reference
"I think being a foreigner and talking about Hollywood allowed me to use some cliches and some references that an American would maybe not use"
Small: The fact that I made a special movie with an old-fashioned style - even if its a mix between with moder
"The fact that I made a special movie with an old-fashioned style - even if it's a mix between with modern and old-fashioned things - must mean I feel both ways about change. In a way I'm resisting, but in a way adapting myself to the times"
Small: I thought The Artist was a perfect way to find a good balance. The artistic challenge is obvious becaus
"I thought 'The Artist' was a perfect way to find a good balance. The artistic challenge is obvious because the film is black-and-white and its silent, but I did my best to make the movie accessible and easy to watch. I really don't want to make elitist movies. I really try hard to work for the audience. Audiences are smart. They get everything"
Small: But I dont think of myself as a foreigner or a Frenchman! I just think of myself as a director.
"But I don't think of myself as a foreigner or a Frenchman! I just think of myself as a director. Whether I'm French or Australian or whatever, it's really not important"