Cédric Klapisch (French: [se.dʁik kla.piʃ] ; born 4 September 1961) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer.

Cédric Klapisch
Klapisch in 2017.
Born (1961-09-04) 4 September 1961 (age 63)
Occupation(s)Film director, screenwriter, producer
Years active1986–present
SpouseLola Doillon
Websitecedric-klapisch.com

Life and career

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Klapisch was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine. He is from a Jewish family; his maternal grandparents were deported to Auschwitz. He studied cinema at the University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle as well as at the University of Paris VIII. He was rejected on two occasions by the French film school Institut des hautes études cinématographiques (IDHEC), now known as La Fémis.[1] He later attended the film school at New York University from 1983 to 1985.[2] During the 1980s, he started to shoot short films such as In transit or Ce qui me meut. He subsequently worked as a scriptwriter and he became a director for feature films. He has also directed a nature documentary for French television.

In 1992, Klapisch shot his first feature film, Riens du tout. A year later, a TV channel asked him to make a film about high school life, set in 1975, Le péril jeune. The film had a very small budget and featured Romain Duris and Vincent Elbaz, who would become two of his favourite actors. Due to its success when broadcast on TV, the film was released in the theaters two years later. During the 1990s, Klapisch made three short films to encourage the use of condoms in combatting AIDS: La chambre, Le Poisson Rouge and Le Ramoneur des Lilas.

In 1996, Klapisch gained greater international recognition after he directed two divergent films, Chacun cherche son chat (When the Cat's Away), and an adaptation of the French theatre comedy Un air de famille. Agnès Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri, the two scriptwriters and main actors, asked him to adapt the play into a film. The film received César Awards for the script and for the female and male supporting roles, Catherine Frot and Jean-Pierre Daroussin. His next film, Peut-être (Maybe), from 1999, featured Jean-Paul Belmondo, Duris and Elbaz.

Klapisch's next film, Ni pour, ni contre (bien au contraire), had its production delayed for 4 months. During this period, he devised a new, low-budget product, which became L'Auberge Espagnole (The Spanish Apartment). Shot in Spain, this film became his greatest box-office success, and he planned three parts to what became known as his Spanish Apartment Trilogy.[3][4] In 2005, he filmed a sequel to L'Auberge Espagnole, Les Poupées Russes (Russian Dolls), with many of the same actors from L'Auberge Espagnole. His film Paris was released in February 2008, and Ma part du gâteau in 2011. In 2012, Klapisch filmed Casse-tête chinois (Chinese Puzzle). This sequel to Les Poupées Russes was released in 2013.

In 2015, he co-founded LaCinetek alongside directors Pascale Ferran and Laurent Cantet. LaCinetek is a streaming platform dedicated to the world's greatest films, selected by filmmakers from all around the globe.[5]

In November 2023 he directed a "wackily updated" production of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris.[6]

Filmography

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Year Title Credited as Notes
Director Screenwriter Actor
1986 In Transit Yes Yes Yes Short film
Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival - Special Jury Award
1989 Ce qui me meut Yes Yes Yes Short film
Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival - Special Jury Award
French Syndicate of Cinema Critics - Best Short Film
Nominated—César Award for Best Fiction Short Film
1992 Riens du tout Yes Yes Yes Bogota International Film Festival - Bronze Precolumbian Circle
Nominated—César Award for Best First Feature Film
1994 3000 scénarios contre un virus Yes Yes TV series, 2 episodes
Le Péril jeune Yes Yes Yes Festival du Film de Paris - Public Prize
Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels - Golden FIPA (Fiction)
1995 Lumière and Company Yes Omnibus documentary
1996 When the Cat's Away Yes Yes Yes 1996 Berlin International Film Festival - FIPRESCI Prize (Panorama)
Family Resemblances Yes Yes Yes César Award for Best Writing
Lumières Award for Best Director
Lumières Award for Best Screenplay
Montreal World Film Festival - Special Grand Prize of the Jury
Montreal World Film Festival - People's Choice Award
Nominated—César Award for Best Film
Nominated—César Award for Best Director
1998 Le Ramoneur des Lilas Yes Yes Yes Short film
Sarajevo Film Festival - Audience Award
1999 Lila Lili Yes
Peut-être Yes Yes Yes
2002 L'Auberge Espagnole Yes Yes Yes Brisbane International Film Festival - Audience Award
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival - Audience Award
Lumières Award for Best Screenplay
Sydney Film Festival - Audience Award
Sydney Film Festival - Prix UIP
Nominated—César Award for Best Film
Nominated—César Award for Best Director
Nominated—César Award for Best Writing
Nominated—European Film Academy People's Choice Award for Best European Film
2003 Not For, or Against (Quite the Contrary) Yes Yes Yes
2005 Russian Dolls Yes Yes Yes Nominated—Globes de Cristal Award for Best Film
2008 Paris Yes Yes Yes Also as associate producer (uncredited)
Nominated—César Award for Best Film
2010 Aurélie Dupont, l'espace d'un instant Yes Documentary featurette (also cinematographer)
2011 De force Yes Cameo
My Piece of the Pie Yes Yes Yes
2013 Chinese Puzzle Yes Yes Yes Also as producer
San Francisco International Film Festival - Audience Award (2nd place)
La Jeunesse a-t-elle une histoire ? Yes Documentary
La Chose sûre Yes Yes Short film
2015 Call My Agent! Yes 2 TV episodes (including the series first)
2017 Back to Burgundy Yes Yes Yes
2019 Someone, Somewhere Yes Yes Yes
2020 Cartier: How Far Would You Go for Love Yes Advertisement
Quatre chorégraphes d'aujourd'hui à l'Opéra de Paris: Thierrée/Shechter/Pérez/Pite Yes Filmed opera
2022 Rise (En corps) Yes Yes Yes
2023 Greek Salad Yes TV miniseries

In addition to his filmography, in 2023, he has also directed the French music video “Avant Elle” (Before Her) by Aliocha Schneider.

References

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  1. ^ "Cédric Klapisch".
  2. ^ Laura Winters (1997-06-15). "A Filmmaker Peers Past Kissing Lovers To See the Real Paris". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-12-06.
  3. ^ "Film Review; Chinese Puzzle" Cine Vue https://www.cine-vue.com/2014/06/film-review-chinese-puzzle.html
  4. ^ Aidil Rusli "The Spanish Apartment Trilogy" http://www.themalaymailonline.com/opinion/aidil-rusli/article/the-spanish-apartment-trilogy
  5. ^ Vincentelli, Elisabeth (2020-07-29). "The World's Greatest Directors Have Their Own Streaming Lists". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-06-18.
  6. ^ Canning, Hugh. Report from Paris. Opera, February 2024, Vol.75 No.2, p207-8.
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