Jean-Pierre Jeunet is a self-taught director who was immediately drawn to the world of cinema, with a predilection for fantastical storytelling where form is as important as the subject. This fascination led him to direct TV commercials and music videos, including a 1984 clip for French singer Julien Clerc.
Jeunet's early collaborations with designer/drawer Marc Caro resulted in two successful short animation films: L'évasion (1978) and Le manège (1979),the latter winning a César award for best short film. Their third short film, The Bunker of the Last Gunshots (1981),combined science fiction and heroic fantasy in a visually stunning story about soldiers trapped underground. This film garnered several festival prizes in France and marked the beginning of their creative partnership with writer Gilles Adrien.
Jeunet's subsequent short films, including Pas de repos pour Billy Brakko (1983) and Foutaises (1989),also won numerous awards in France and abroad. Foutaises (1989) earned him a second César award.
In 1991, Jeunet and Caro co-directed their first feature film, Delicatessen, which was a massive success, winning four Césars, including the award for best new director(s) and best scenario. The film's success surprised even the directors themselves, allowing them to finally bring their long-developed project to life.
This project, The City of Lost Children (1995),was a dark and innovative tale that required the creation of new software for its special effects. The film combined international skills, featuring US actor Ron Perlman, Chilean-born actor Daniel Emilfork, Iranian cinematographer Darius Khondji, and French fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier.
The film's success led to Jeunet's collaboration with Hollywood on the fourth installment of the 'Alien' series, Alien: Resurrection (1997). He brought a team of his usual collaborators, including actors Dominique Pinon and Ron Perlman, to the project.
After returning to France, Jeunet made a more personal film, Amélie (2001),which he co-wrote with Guillaume Laurant. Shot mostly in the Parisian suburb of Montmartre, where Jeunet resides, the film starred Audrey Tautou and Mathieu Kassovitz and became the biggest worldwide success in French cinema history, winning numerous awards, including four Césars.
Jeunet's next project was the adaptation of Sébastien Japrisot's book A Very Long Engagement (2004),which he co-wrote with Audrey Tautou and Dominique Pinon, as well as many other famous French actors and Jodie Foster. With a significant budget, the film received widespread international acclaim and numerous nominations and awards.
