Olivier Assayas

Birthday: 25 January 1955, Paris, France

Olivier Assayas was born on January 25, 1955 in Paris, France. He is a writer and director, known for Paris, je t'aime (2006), Personal Shopper (2016) and Clouds of Sils Maria (2014).

I am a fan of Michael Mann; he is one of the most inspired stylists in American cinema today, but it Show more I am a fan of Michael Mann; he is one of the most inspired stylists in American cinema today, but it was all there from the start. In Thief (1981), his first feature, you have echoes of Jean-Pierre Melville (it goes full circle), a sharp eye for realism, but also profound human characters with precisely drawn relationships, and great acting. Mann's fascination with a geometrical modernity, even if it is always mediated by genre filmmaking, is genuinely reminiscent of Michelangelo Antonioni - explicitly so in the last scenes of Heat (1995). [Criterion Coll., 2015] Hide

I like the adventure of making films. And the adventure of making films has to do with the capacity Show more I like the adventure of making films. And the adventure of making films has to do with the capacity you have of listening to your guts. Hide

Movies are expressions of our imagination. They are expressions of our conscious and of our subconsc Show more Movies are expressions of our imagination. They are expressions of our conscious and of our subconscious. I think that movies can be analyzed the way dreams are analyzed. Hide

Clouds of Sils Maria (2014) deals with an actress, who has to navigate through those different layer Show more Clouds of Sils Maria (2014) deals with an actress, who has to navigate through those different layers of reality - it is pretty much a portrait of Juliette Binoche, as she is today, not a movie with Binoche, but a movie about her. She really brings a lot of herself into this character, so it has fairly deep roots. Hide

When I started making films, the people I was hanging out with, the scene in Paris at the time was v Show more When I started making films, the people I was hanging out with, the scene in Paris at the time was very much musicians. So once in a while it pops up and I use it as a background. Because there are moments in life when you just have to say hello to your old friends. Hide

Ultimately, what I am most interested in is what contradicts what I have written because that's exac Show more Ultimately, what I am most interested in is what contradicts what I have written because that's exactly where real life moves into the film. Hide

[on director Michael Mann] It's miraculous to find such a great stylist in contemporary American cin Show more [on director Michael Mann] It's miraculous to find such a great stylist in contemporary American cinema. ["La cinémathèque imaginaire", Cine-regards] Hide

I think that it's important to understand, intuitively understand, what you are doing. But when you Show more I think that it's important to understand, intuitively understand, what you are doing. But when you are doing it you must follow instinct. There has to be a certain level of risk, creating images, characters, emotions, it involves something a little brutal. You must be prepared to go in areas where you lose control. Hide

Olivier Assayas's FILMOGRAPHY

All as Actor (3) as Director (6) as Creator (3)

Clouds Of Sils Maria

[18+] Personal Shopper

Boarding Gate