Brigitte Roüan
Encyclopedia
Brigitte Roüan is a French
film director
and actress.
family in Toulon
in 1946. She was orphan
ed at age six and spent her childhood in Algeria
and Senegal
. At age 12, she left for convent
school in Paris
.
Her acting career began at age 21, on the stage. Her performance lead the way to small film roles for directors including Alain Resnais
, Jacques Rivette
, and Bertrand Tavernier
.
in 1986. She would become a feature film director with Overseas (1990), which won the Critics' Week award at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival
. She co-starred in the film with Marianne Basler and Nicole Garcia
to portray sisters in colonial
North Africa
during the 1950s.
The now actor-director would continue in roles, including one in Olivier, Olivier (1991) for Polish director Agnieszka Holland
.
Rouan's 1997 film Post Coitum, Animal Triste garnered attention for its depiction of an affair between a middle-aged woman (played by Rouan herself) and a younger man. The film was a success in its native country and received strong notices in America, where it screened at the New York Film Festival
before playing to arthouse crowds. It was also screened in the Un Certain Regard
section at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival
.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and actress.
Early life and career
Rouan was born into a French navalFrench Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
family in Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
in 1946. She was orphan
Orphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
ed at age six and spent her childhood in Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
and Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
. At age 12, she left for convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
school in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Her acting career began at age 21, on the stage. Her performance lead the way to small film roles for directors including Alain Resnais
Alain Resnais
Alain Resnais is a French film director whose career has extended over more than six decades. After training as a film editor in the mid-1940s, he went on to direct a number of short films which included Nuit et Brouillard , an influential documentary about the Nazi concentration camps.He began...
, Jacques Rivette
Jacques Rivette
Jacques Rivette is a French film director. His most well known films include Celine and Julie Go Boating, La Belle Noiseuse and the cult film Out 1....
, and Bertrand Tavernier
Bertrand Tavernier
Bertrand Tavernier is a French director, screenwriter, actor, and producer.-Life and career:Tavernier was born in Lyon, the son of Geneviève and René Tavernier, a publicist and writer, several years president of the French PEN club. Tavernier wanted to become a filmmaker since the age of thirteen...
.
Directing career
Rouan became a director in her own right when she helmed a short film titled Grosse. It won a César AwardCésar Award
The César Award is the national film award of France, first given out in 1975. The nominations are selected by the members of the Académie des arts et techniques du cinéma....
in 1986. She would become a feature film director with Overseas (1990), which won the Critics' Week award at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival
1990 Cannes Film Festival
- Jury :*Bernardo Bertolucci *Alexei Guerman *Anjelica Huston *Bertrand Blier *Christopher Hampton*Fanny Ardant *Françoise Giroud *Hayao Shibata *Mira Nair *Sven Nykvist...
. She co-starred in the film with Marianne Basler and Nicole Garcia
Nicole Garcia
Nicole Garcia is a French actress, film director and writer. Her film Selon Charlie was entered into the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.-Actress:*1968: Des garçons et des filles directed by Étienne Périer...
to portray sisters in colonial
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
during the 1950s.
The now actor-director would continue in roles, including one in Olivier, Olivier (1991) for Polish director Agnieszka Holland
Agnieszka Holland
Agnieszka Holland is a Polish film and TV director and screenwriter. Best recognized for her highly political contributions to Polish cinema, Holland is one of Poland's most prominent filmmakers.-Personal life:...
.
Rouan's 1997 film Post Coitum, Animal Triste garnered attention for its depiction of an affair between a middle-aged woman (played by Rouan herself) and a younger man. The film was a success in its native country and received strong notices in America, where it screened at the New York Film Festival
New York Film Festival
The New York Film Festival has been a major film festival since it began in 1963 in New York. The films are selected by the Film Society of Lincoln Center...
before playing to arthouse crowds. It was also screened in the Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's Official Selection. It is run at the Salle Debussy, parallel to the competition for the Palme d'Or.This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob...
section at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival
1997 Cannes Film Festival
-Jury:*Isabelle Adjani *Gong Li *Mira Sorvino *Paul Auster *Tim Burton *Luc Bondy *Patrick Dupond *Mike Leigh *Nanni Moretti *Michael Ondaatje -Feature film competition:...
.
Director filmography
- Overseas (1990)
- Post Coitum, Animal Triste (After Sex) (1997)
- Travaux, on sait quand ça commence... (Housewarming) (2005)
Partial actor filmography
- Overseas (1990) as Malène
- Post Coitum, Animal TristePost Coitum, Animal TristeAfter Sex is a 1997 film by French director Brigitte Roüan.Roüan stars in the film as Diane Clovier, a married mother of two who has an affair with the friend of a young writer she is mentoring...
(1997) as Diane Clovier - Why Not Me?Why Not Me? (film)Why Not Me? is a 1999 French comedy film written and directed by Stéphane Giusti. It is about a group of gay French friends living in Barcelona who decide to have a dinner party and come out to their parents.-Cast:* Amira Casar as Camille...
(1999) as Josepha - Le Temps du LoupLe Temps du LoupTime of the Wolf is a dystopian post-apocalyptic drama film, directed by Austrian director Michael Haneke. It was released theatrically in 2003....
(Time of the Wolf) (2003) as Béa - The Pleasure Is All Mine (2004) as Nicole
- Les Chansons d'Amour (2007) as Julie's Mother
External links
- "Post Release: Post-Coitums Brigitte Rouan" by Brandon Judell, indieWIREIndieWireindieWIRE is a daily news site for the independent film community. It covers indie, documentary and foreign language films, as well industry news, film festival reports, filmmaker interviews and movie reviews...
website, retrieved April 13, 2006