Agnès Jaoui

Agnès Jaoui

Agnès Jaoui at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival
Background information
Born (1964-10-19) 19 October 1964
Antony, Hauts-de-Seine, France
Genres World music
Occupation(s) Actress, screenwriter, film director, singer

Agnès Jaoui (born 19 October 1964) is a French actress, screenwriter, film director and singer.

She frequently works in collaboration with her former partner Jean-Pierre Bacri.

Life and career

Jaoui was born in Antony, Hauts-de-Seine, and is of Tunisian Jewish descent.[1] She is the daughter of Hubert Jaoui and Gyza Jaoui, who are not related to the cinema industry but are both writers.[1] They moved to Paris when she was 8 years old. She started theatre when she was in high school at the Lycée Henri-IV in Paris.[1] She entered the Cours Florent when she was 15.[1] Patrice Chéreau, director of the Théâtre des Amandiers in Nanterre where she followed drama classes since 1984, gave her a role in the film Hôtel de France in 1987. That same year, she also played in Harold Pinter's L'anniversaire beside Jean-Pierre Bacri, who will be later a faithful colleague and companion.[2]

Together they wrote the play Cuisine et dépendances which was adapted onscreen in 1992 by Philippe Muyl. In 1993, director Alain Resnais asked them to write an adaptation of Alan Ayckbourn's 8-part play Intimate Exchanges, which became the 2-part film Smoking/No Smoking. Thanks to this ironic diptych about free will and destiny, they won the César Award for Best Writing in 1994. But it is in 1996 that they came to know greater success with Cédric Klapisch's adaptation of their play Family Resemblances (Un air de famille) which showed their ability to observe and depict everyday life, and to criticize the social norms through a bitter and corrosive humor. Once again, they won the César Award for Best Writing in 1997 and this very same year they collaborated again with Alain Resnais for Same Old Song (On connaît la chanson) which they wrote but also interpreted: together, they won their third César Award for Best Writing, and Jaoui won her first César Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Jaoui directed her first feature film, The Taste of Others (Le Goût des autres, 2000, written with Jean-Pierre Bacri), which questions social-cultural identities. The film was a huge success in France and attracted 4 million spectators. It also won 4 César Awards in 2001 including Best Film and Best Writing, and also got nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In 2004, her second film as a director, Look at Me (Comme une image), co-written with Bacri, was selected for the Cannes Festival, and won the prize for Best Screenplay. She starred in the last Richard Dembo's film, La maison de Nina (2005) and then focused on music and released her album of Latin songs Canta (2006). She returned to the cinema industry two years later in 2008 with Let's Talk About the Rain (Parlez-moi de la pluie) and offered French humorist Jamel Debbouze a different role from what he was used to.

In 2012, she directed her latest film to-date, Under the Rainbow (Au bout du conte), also co-written with Bacri. She revisits several fairy tales such as Cinderella, Snow White, and Little Red Riding Hood. It received acclaim —for originality and humor in the writing and dialogue— from critics and audiences.[3]

Music

Jaoui studied music in the conservatoire when she was 17, but did not start her career as a singer until 2006 when her first album Canta was released. It mixed several Latin music genres (such as flamenco, bolero, and bossa) and she sang exclusively in Spanish and Portuguese.[4] In 2007, it won the Victoire de la Musique award for "best traditional music album".

Jaoui's second album, Dans Mon Pays, was released in 2009. It also featured Latin sonorities and songs sang in Spanish and Portuguese— except for two songs in French.[5]

Personal life

Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri in 2013 at the première showing of Au bout du conte.

Jaoui is the daughter of Gyza Jaoui; a pioneering figure of transactional analysis, a form of psychotherapy initiated by Eric Berne. Jaoui has a brother, Laurent Jaoui, who is also a screenwriter and a director.

Jaoui was in a relationship with Jean-Pierre Bacri from 1987 to 2012.[2] Despite their breakup, the two decided to stay on good terms and to continue to work together.[6]

She adopted two children from Brazil in 2012.[7]

Filmography

As actress

Year English title Original title Role Notes
1983 Le Faucon Sandra
1987 Hôtel de France Madame Bouguereau
1987 L'Amoureuse Agathe
1990 Ivanov Babakina
1991 Canti
1993 Cuisine et Dépendances Charlotte
1996 Family Resemblances Un air de famille Betty Ménard
1997 Le Déménagement Claire
1997 Same Old Song On connaît la chanson Camille
1998 Le Cousin Claudine Delvaux
1999 On The Run Kristin
2000 Une femme d'extérieur Françoise
2000 The Taste of Others Le Goût des autres Mani
2003 24 Hours in the Life of a Woman 24 heures dans la vie d'une femme Marie Collins Brown
2004 The Role of Her Life Le Rôle de sa vie Elisabeth Baker
2004 Nina's House La Maison de Nina Nina
2004 Look at Me Comme une image Sylvia Millet
2008 Let's Talk About the Rain Parlez-moi de la pluie Agathe Villanova
2012 The Dandelions Du vent dans mes mollets Colette Gladstein
2013 Under the Rainbow Au bout du conte Marianne
2014 The Easy Way Out L'Art de la fugue Ariel
2015 The Sweet Escape Comme un avion Laëtitia
2015 I'm All Yours Je suis à vous tout de suite Simone Belkacem

As filmmaker

Year Title Credited as Notes
Director Screenwriter
1993 Cuisine et Dépendances Yes
1993 Smoking/No Smoking Yes
1996 Family Resemblances Yes
1997 Same Old Song Yes
2000 The Taste of Others Yes Yes
2004 Look at Me Yes Yes
2008 Let's Talk About the Rain Yes Yes
2013 Under the Rainbow Yes Yes
2014 The Easy Way Out Yes Script consultant
2017 Place publique Yes Yes

Discography

Year Title
2006 Canta
2009 Dans Mon Pays
2015 Nostalgias

Awards and nominations

Year Award Nominated work Original title Result
1993 César Award for Best Writing Smoking/No Smoking Won
1997 César Award for Best Writing Family Resemblances Un air de famille Won
1997 César Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated
1997 Lumières Award for Best Screenplay Won
1997 César Award for Best Writing Same Old Song On connaît la chanson Won
1998 César Award for Best Supporting Actress Won
2000 Lumières Award for Best Film The Taste of Others Le Goût des autres Won
2000 Lumières Award for Best Director Won
2000 Lumières Award for Best Screenplay Won
2000 European Film Award for Best Film Nominated
2000 European Film Award for Best Screenwriter Won
2000 Montreal World Film Festival - Grand Prix des Amériques Won
2001 César Award for Best Film Won
2001 César Award for Best Writing Won
2001 César Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated
2001 César Award for Best DirectorNominated
2001 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film Nominated
2001 BIFA Award for Best Foreign Independent FilmNominated
2001 Guldbagge Award for Best Foreign Film Nominated
2001 René Clair Award Won
2004 Cannes Film Festival - Best Screenplay Look at Me Comme une image Won[8]
2004 European Film Award for Best ScreenwriterWon
2004 European Film Award for Best Director Nominated
2004 London Film Critics' Circle Award for Screenwriter of the YearNominated
2005 César Award for Best Writing Nominated
2005 Bodil Award for Best Non-American FilmWon
2007 Victoires de la Musique — World music album of the year Canta Won
2016 César Award for Best Supporting Actress The Sweet Escape Comme un avion Nominated

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Klifa, Thierry (February 2000). "Agnès Jaoui: L'art de vivre". Studio magazine (153): 124–129. ISSN 0982-8354.
  2. 1 2 Lorrain, François-Guillaume (11 September 2008). "Jaoui ne se laisse pas faire". Le Point. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  3. ""Au bout du conte", d'Agnès Jaoui, une comédie piquante très Jaoui-Bacri". Télérama.fr. 3 June 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  4. ""Canta" ou la délicatesse d'Agnès Jaoui". Linternaute.com. February 2006. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  5. ""Dans mon pays", Agnès Jaoui y El Quintet Oficial". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  6. Amalric, Laurent (31 January 2013). "Le conte est bon à Six-Fours pour le duo Bacri-Jaoui". Nice-Matin. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  7. Karelle, Fitoussi (26 August 2012). "Agnès Jaoui, la douceur de vivre". Paris Match. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  8. "Festival de Cannes: Look at Me". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 31 March 2014.

External links

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