Téchiné, André

(1943- )

   Director, film critic, and screenwriter. Before directing films, André Téchiné worked as a critic at Cahiers du cinéma from 1964 to 1967 and later as an assistant to Jacques Rivette and Marc'O. His first feature was Paulina s'en va (1975), which stars Bulle Ogier. It was followed by Souvenirs d'en France (1975), starring Jeanne Moreau.

   Téchiné's films often pair several of France's most internationally recognized celebrities. Barocco (1976) pairs Gérard Depardieu and Isabelle Adjani, Les soeurs Brontë (1979) stars Adjani alongside Isabelle Huppert, Hôtel des Amériques (1981) features Catherine Deneuve and Patrick Dewaere, Le lieu du crime (1986) stars Deneuve and Danielle Darrieux, J'embrasse pas (1991) pairs Philippe Noiret and Emmanuelle Béart, Ma saison préféré (1993) stars Deneuve and Daniel Auteuil as does Les voleurs (1996). Les temps qui changent (2004) stars Deneuve and Depardieu. He chose the leading actress of Rendez-vous (1985), Juliette Binoche, to star again in Alice et Martin (1998), and Béart again in Les Égarés (2002). His most recent film is LesTémoins (2006), which stars Béart.

   Téchiné's most acclaimed films to date are Les roseaux sauvages (1994), which received the Prix Louis-Delluc, and Césars for Best Director, Best Film, and Best Screenplay in 1995, and Rendez-vous, which won him Best Director at Cannes a decade earlier. Les roseaux sauvages stars Élodie Bouchez, who received a Most Promising Actress award at the César Awards and Best Actress at Cannes for her role. Stéphane Rideau and Gaël Morel were both nominated for Césars for Most Promising Actor. Rideau also plays the lead in Téchiné's Loin (2001).

   Historical Dictionary of French Cinema by Dayna Oscherwitz & Mary Ellen Higgins