Jean-Jacques Beineix

Jean-Jacques Beineix
Beineix in 1989
Born	(1946-10-08) 8 October 1946 (age 70) Paris, France
Occupation	Film director
Years active	1977–present

Jean-Jacques Beineix ([bɛnɛks]; born 8 October 1946) is a French film director and generally seen as the best example of what came to be called the cinéma du look. Critic Ginette Vincendeau defined the films made by Beineix and others as "youth-oriented films with high production values...The look of the cinéma du look refers to the films' high investment in non-naturalistic, self-conscious aesthetics, notably intense colours and lighting effects. Their spectacular (studio based) and technically brilliant mise-en-scène is usually put to the service of romantic plots." The cinéma du look included the films of Luc Besson and Léos Carax. Luc Besson, like Beineix, was much maligned by the critical establishment during the 1980s, while Carax was much admired. In late 2006, Beineix published a first volume of his autobiography, Les Chantiers de la gloire (in French only). The title alluded to the French title of Stanley Kubrick's film, Les Sentiers de la gloire (Paths of Glory).

In 1964, Jean-Jacques Beineix started his career as Jean Becker's assistant director on the famous French TV series, Les Saintes chéries (), until the end of 1967. Then, in 1970 he worked for Claude Berri and in 1971 for Claude Zidi. In 1977, he directed his first short movie Le Chien de M. Michel which won the first prize at the Trouville Festival. In 1980, he directed his first feature film Diva which received four Césars. The film was also entered into the 12th Moscow International Film Festival. His second feature, Moon in the Gutter, was nominated for the Palme d'Or at 1983's Cannes Festival. That film was nominated for three Césars in 1984. It won one award - the Best Production Design category.