Guédiguian, Robert

(1953- )

   Director, producer, and screen-writer. Robert Guédiguian was born and raised in L'Estaque, Marseille, of Armenian and German parents. He studied sociology in Aix-en-Provence and later received a master's degree in sociology in Paris. In 1979, he met René Féret, who invited him to coscript his film, Fernand (1980). In 1980, he began shooting his first film, Dernier été, with codirector Frank Le Wita. It stars his wife, Ariane Ascaride, and Gérard Meylan, who appear in the majority of Guédiguian's films. Guédiguian's second feature was Ki lo sa? (1985), which features Jean-Pierre Daroussin, another of his favorite performers. His next features were Rouge midi (1985) and Dieu vomit les tièdes (1991).

   Guédiguian's A la vie, à la mort (1995) really established his career as a filmmaker, a career which continued into the 1990s and beyond. The film was cowritten with Jean-Louis Milesi, who would collaborate on the scripts of his future films. Guédiguian has become known as a socially engaged filmmaker who gives intimate, multi-layered portraits of the struggles of the working class. He has also been an incisive critic of conservative calls for French "purity," using drama and comedy to illuminate discriminatory French policies against immigrants. He has also been described as a regional film-maker. Marseille, and particularly its working-class neighborhoods, provides the setting for most of his films.

   Guédiguian won the Prix Louis-Delluc and a Lumière Award for his fourth feature, the box-office success Marius et Jeanette (1997). The film also received three César Award nominations for Best Director, Best Film, and Best Screenplay. Ascaride won the César for Best Actress for her performance. In 1998, Guédiguian released A la place du coeur, which won a Silver Seashell at the San Sebastian International Film Festival. It was followed by A l'attaque! (2000) and La vie est tranquille (2000), which won the Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique (FIPRESCI) Prize at the European Film Awards. His next feature, Marie-Jo et ses deux amours (2002), was nominated for a Golden Palm at Cannes. In 2004, he released Mon père est ingénieur. His 2005 film, Promeneur du champ de Mars, departs from his previous films in the selection of setting, actors, and writers. It offers a provocative depiction of former president François Mitterand, who is played by the talented Michel Bouquet. The film is based on a book by Georges-Marc Benamou, who collaborated on the script. It received a nomination for a Golden Berlin Bear.