Bertrand Tavernier (French pronunciation:[bɛʁtʁɑ̃tavɛʁnje]; 25 April 1941 – 25 March 2021) was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer.[1]
Life and career
Tavernier was born in Lyon, France, the son of Geneviève (née Dumond) and René Tavernier, a publicist and writer, several years president of the French PEN club.[2] He said his father's publishing of a wartime resistance journal and aid to anti-Nazi intellectuals shaped his moral outlook as an artist. According to Tavernier, his father believed that words were "as important and as lethal as bullets".[3] Tavernier wanted to become a filmmaker from the age of 13 or 14 years. He said that his cinematic influences included filmmakers John Ford, William Wellman, Jean Renoir, Jean Vigo and Jacques Becker.[4]
His early work was dominated by mysteries, but his later work is characterized by a more overt social commentary, highlighting his left-wing views (Life and Nothing But, Captain Conan) and presenting a critical picture of contemporary French society (It All Starts Today, Histoires de vies brisées : les double-peine de Lyon).
He won the BAFTA for best film in a language other than English in 1990 for Life and Nothing But and a total of four César Awards and was joint winner of another.[5]
Tavernier was married to screenwriter Colo Tavernier O'Hagan from 1965 to 1981.[10] They had two children. Their son, Nils Tavernier (born 1 September 1965), works as both a director and actor.[11] Their daughter, Tiffany Tavernier (born in 1967), is a novelist, screenwriter and assistant director.[12][13]
Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival - Best Film Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival - Best Director Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival - Best Screenplay Nominated - Berlin International Film Festival - Golden Bear
