Cédric Klapisch

Cédric Klapisch ( ; born 4 September 1961) is a French film director, screenwriter and film producer.

Life and career Klapisch was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine. He is from a Jewish family; his maternal grandparents were deported to Auschwitz. He studied cinema at the University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle as well as at the University of Paris VIII. He was rejected on two occasions by the French film school Institut des hautes études cinématographiques (IDHEC), now known as La Fémis. He later attended the film school at New York University from 1983 to 1985. During the 1980s, he started to shoot short films such as In transit or Ce qui me meut. He subsequently worked as a scriptwriter and he became a director for feature films. He has also directed a nature documentary for French television.

In 1992, Klapisch shot his first feature film, Riens du tout. A year later, a TV channel asked him to make a film about high school life, set in 1975, Le péril jeune. The film had a very small budget and featured Romain Duris and Vincent Elbaz, who would become two of his favourite actors. Due to its success when broadcast on TV, the film was released in the theaters two years later. During the 1990s, Klapisch made three short films to encourage the use of condoms in combatting AIDS: La chambre, Le Poisson Rouge and Le Ramoneur des Lilas.

In 1996, Klapisch gained greater international recognition after he directed two divergent films, Chacun cherche son chat (When the Cat's Away), and an adaptation of the French theatre comedy Un air de famille. Agnès Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri, the two scriptwriters and main actors, asked him to adapt the play into a film. The film received César Awards for the script and for the female and male supporting roles, Catherine Frot and Jean-Pierre Daroussin. His next film, Peut-être (Maybe), from 1999, featured Jean-Paul Belmondo, Duris and Elbaz.

Klapisch's next film, Ni pour, ni contre (bien au contraire), had its production delayed for 4 months. During this period, he devised a new, low-budget product, which became L'Auberge Espagnole (The Spanish Apartment). Shot in Spain, this film became his greatest box-office success, and he planned three parts to what became known as his Spanish Apartment Trilogy. In 2005, he filmed a sequel to L'Auberge Espagnole, Les Poupées Russes (Russian Dolls), with many of the same actors from L'Auberge Espagnole. His film Paris was released in February 2008, and Ma part du gâteau in 2011. In 2012, Klapisch filmed Casse-tête chinois (Chinese Puzzle). The third installment in the Spanish Apartment Trilogy and the sequel to Les Poupées Russes was released in 2013.

In 2015, he co-founded LaCinetek alongside directors Pascale Ferran and Laurent Cantet. LaCinetek is a streaming platform dedicated to the world's greatest films, selected by filmmakers from all around the globe.

In November 2023, he directed a "wackily updated" production of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris.

Filmography Short film Year TitleDirectorWriterActor 1986 In Transit 1989 Ce qui me meut 1998 Le Ramoneur des Lilas 2013 La Chose sûre

Feature film Year TitleDirectorWriterActor Notes 1992 Riens du tout 1994 Le Péril jeune 1996 When the Cat's Away Family Resemblances 1999 Lila Lili Peut-être 2002 L'Auberge Espagnole 2003 Not For, or Against (Quite the Contrary) 2005 Russian Dolls 2008 Paris Also as associate producer (uncredited) 2011 De force Cameo My Piece of the Pie 2013 Chinese Puzzle Also as producer 2017 Back to Burgundy 2019 Someone, Somewhere 2022 Rise 2025 Colours of Time

Documentary films Year TitleDirectorWriter Notes 1995 Lumière and Company Omnibus documentary 2010 Aurélie Dupont, l'espace d'un instant Also cinematographer 2013 La Jeunesse a-t-elle une histoire ?

Television Year TitleDirectorWriter Notes 1994 3000 scénarios contre un virus 2 episodes 2015 Call My Agent! 2 episodes (including the series first) 2023 Greek Salad Directed 3 episodes;Also creator

Other credits Year Title Notes 2020 Cartier: How Far Would You Go for Love AdvertisementQuatre chorégraphes d'aujourd'hui à l'Opéra de Paris: Thierrée/Shechter/Pérez/Pite Filmed opera In addition to his filmography, in 2023, he has also directed the French music video “Avant Elle” (Before Her) by Aliocha Schneider.

Awards and nominations Short film Year Title Awards and nominations 1986 In Transit Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival - Special Jury Award 1989 Ce qui me meut Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival - Special Jury AwardFrench Syndicate of Cinema Critics - Best Short FilmNominated—César Award for Best Fiction Short 1998 Le Ramoneur des Lilas Sarajevo Film Festival - Audience Award

Feature film Year Title Awards and nominations 1992 Riens du toutBogota International Film Festival - Bronze Precolumbian CircleNominated—César Award for Best First Feature Film 1994 Le Péril jeuneFestival du Film de Paris - Public PrizeFestival International de Programmes Audiovisuels - Golden FIPA (Fiction) 1996 When the Cat's Away 1996 Berlin International Film Festival - FIPRESCI Prize (Panorama) Family Resemblances César Award for Best WritingLumières Award for Best DirectorLumières Award for Best ScreenplayMontreal World Film Festival - Special Grand Prize of the JuryMontreal World Film Festival - People's Choice AwardNominated—César Award for Best FilmNominated—César Award for Best Director 2002 L'Auberge Espagnole Brisbane International Film Festival - Audience AwardKarlovy Vary International Film Festival - Audience AwardLumières Award for Best ScreenplaySydney Film Festival - Audience AwardSydney Film Festival - Prix UIPNominated—César Award for Best FilmNominated—César Award for Best DirectorNominated—César Award for Best WritingNominated—European Film Academy People's Choice Award for Best European Film 2005 Russian Dolls Nominated—Globes de Cristal Award for Best Film 2008 Paris Nominated—César Award for Best Film 2013 Chinese PuzzleSan Francisco International Film Festival - Audience Award (2nd place)