Olivier Assayas

Biography

Olivier Assayas (French: [ɔlivje asajas]; born 25 January 1955) is a French film director, screenwriter and film critic. Assayas is known for his eclectic filmography, consisting of slow-burning period pieces, psychological thrillers, neo-noirs, and comedies. He has directed French, Spanish, and English-language films with international casts. The son of filmmaker Jacques Rémy, Assayas began his career as a critic for Cahiers du Cinéma. There he wrote about world cinema and its film auteurs, who later influenced his work. Assayas made several short films, and made his feature debut with Disorder in 1986. He continued directing feature films, with Cold Water (1994) considered a breakthrough film in his career. It was his first film to screen at the Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section. His followup film, Irma Vep (1996), also screened at Cannes, while Sentimental Destinies (2000), Demonlover (2002), and Clean (2004) all officially competed for the Palme d'Or. In 2006, he contributed a short film to the anthology film Paris, je t'aime (2006). Assayas gained acclaim for his dramas Summer Hours (2008), Clouds of Sils Maria (2014), and Personal Shopper (2016); the lat…

Directed

1. Personal Shopper (2016) — Director
2. Paris Je T'aime (2006) — Director
3. Clouds of Sils Maria (2014) — Director
4. Wasp Network (2020) — Director
5. Non-Fiction (2018) — Director
6. Irma Vep (1996) — Director
7. Carlos (2010) — Director
8. The Wizard of the Kremlin (2026) — Director
9. Summer Hours (2008) — Director
10. To Each His Own Cinema (2007) — Director
11. Irma Vep (2022) — Director
12. Demonlover (2002) — Director
13. Boarding Gate (2007) — Director
14. Something in the Air (2012) — Director
15. Clean (2004) — Director
16. Cold Water (1994) — Director
17. Carlos (2010) — Director
18. Late August, Early September (1999) — Director
19. Sentimental Destinies (2000) — Director
20. Disorder (1986) — Director
21. Suspended Time (2024) — Director
22. Paris Awakens (1991) — Director
23. Winter's Child (1989) — Director
24. Laissé inachevé à Tokyo (1982) — Director
25. A New Life (1993) — Director
26. HHH: A Portrait of Hou Hsiao-Hsien (1999) — Director
27. Noise (2006) — Director
28. Winston Tong In Studio (1984) — Director
29. Man Yuk: A Portrait of Maggie Cheung (1997) — Director
30. Eldorado (2008) — Director
31. All the Boys and Girls of Their Time (1994) — Director
32. Quartier des Enfants-Rouges (2006) — Director
33. Eldorado/Sonntags Abschied: Live Performance (2008) — Director

Also appeared in

1. Hitchcock/Truffaut (2015) — Self
2. Suspended Time (2024) — Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
3. Quotidien (2016) — Self - Guest
4. Flowers of Taipei: Taiwan New Cinema (2014) — Self
5. Searching for Ingmar Bergman (2018) — Self - Filmmaker
6. … But Film Is My Mistress (2010) — Self
7. François Truffaut: Stolen Portraits (1993) — Self
8. Room 999 (2023) — Self
9. The Cinematograph: Birth of an Art (2021) — Self - Filmmaker
10. Lars Eidinger – To Be or Not To Be (2023) — Self
11. Truffaut / Godard, scénario d'une rupture (2016) — Self
12. Corona Film Club (2021) — Self
13. Jean-Pierre Léaud: The Child of Cinema (2024) — Self - Filmmaker
14. Isabelle Huppert, une vie pour jouer (2001) — Self
15. Clique (2013) — Self - Guest
16. In the Mood for Doyle (2007) — Himself
17. Luchino Visconti: Between Truth and Passion (2016) — Self - Movie Director
18. A Special Day (2012) — Self
19. Aware, Anywhere (2017) — Himself
20. André Téchiné: A Passion for Cinema (2019) — Self - Filmmaker
21. Being Bo Widerberg (2025) — Self
22. Making of 'Demonlover' (2003) — Self
23. SY NYC 12/12/01: The Demonlover Sessions (2019) — Self
24. Léaud l'unique (2001) — Self - filmmaker
25. Art-House America: Austin Film Society (2023) — Self
26. Il était une fois... « La règle du jeu » (2011) — Self (cinéaste)
27. Inventory (2008) — Interviewee
28. Professor Goudet's Lessons (2013) — Self
29. Gérard Blain : adultes, je vous hais (2019) — Self - director, critique