Bertrand Bonello

Early life

Bonello's background is in classical music, and he started playing the piano at the age of five. Later on he had a band, and then he discovered punk and rock music and switched from classical to pop music.

He became interested in films at the age of twelve by watching horror films from directors such as David Cronenberg, Dario Argento, George A. Romero, and Lucio Fulci. He decided to become a director after watching Stranger Than Paradise (1984) by Jim Jarmusch. Before working as a director, he worked as a session musician on tours and on records for other artists.

Career

His feature directorial debut, Something Organic, was screened in the Panorama section of the 1998 Berlin Film Festival. His second feature film, The Pornographer, won the FIPRESCI prize at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. His third feature film, Tiresia, was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.

Bonello owns the production company My New Picture, which has produced all his films since On War (2008). Bonello was a member of the jury of the Cinéfondation & Short Films section at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.

His 2011 film House of Tolerance, a depiction of daily life in a fin-de-siècle Parisian bordello, premiered In Competition at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. His 2014 film Saint Laurent, a biopic of fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, competed for the Palme d'Or in the main competition section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. It received ten César Award nominations, including Best Film and Best Director. The film was selected as France's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards.

In 2016, Bonello released the thriller Nocturama. In 2018 he was the president of the jury for the Cinéfondation & Short Films section at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. His 2019 film, Zombi Child, was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. His 2022 film Coma competed for the Encounters Award at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival and won the FIPRESCI Award at the festival.

Bonello's tenth feature film, The Beast (2023) a sci-fi romantic drama freely inspired by Henry James' 1903 novella The Beast in the Jungle, had its world premiere in the official competition of the 80th Venice International Film Festival.

In April 2023, Love Theme Music released a soundtrack album featuring original music by Bonello that he wrote for his films.

Personal life

Bonello was in a relationship with his frequent collaborator, French-Canadian cinematographer Josée Deshaies, with whom he had a daughter, Anna, who was born in 2003, and who co-composed the score for his film The Beast. Bonello's 2022 film Coma was dedicated to and inspired by his daughter. He lives between Paris and Montreal.

Filmography

Feature films

Short films

Acting roles

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Bertrand Bonello

Decorations

• Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (2015)

References

References

1. "Bertrand Bonello".
2. Quandt, James. (February 2004). "Flesh & Blood: Sex and violence in recent French cinema".
3. Weston, Hillary. (11 August 2017). "Behind Closed Doors: A Conversation with Bertrand Bonello".
4. (9 March 2018). "Bertrand Bonello, Président of the Cinéfondation and short films Jury".
5. "Festival de Cannes: Bertrand Bonello biography". Festival de Cannes.
6. "Festival de Cannes: Tiresia". Festival de Cannes.
7. "My New Picture".
8. "My New Picture [FR]".
9. "Festival de Cannes 2011: Official Selection". Festival de Cannes.
10. (25 April 2015). "Bertrand Bonello on Cinema".
11. "Festival de Cannes 2014: Official Selection". Festival de Cannes.
12. "Saint Laurent".
13. (22 September 2014). "Oscars: France Selects 'Saint Laurent' for Foreign-Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter.
14. Pearce, Leonard. (2 February 2022). "First Clips and Plot Details for Bertrand Bonello's Coma, Premiering at Berlinale".
15. (17 February 2022). "Two Silver Bears for French cinema at the 72nd Berlinale".
16. Roos, Gautier. (25 December 2021). "[INTERVIEW BERTRAND BONELLO] Le grand entretien chaos".
17. Vivarelli, Nick. (25 July 2023). "Venice Lineup Includes Films by Bradley Cooper, Sofia Coppola, Ava DuVernay, David Fincher and More".
18. (6 April 2023). "Bertrand Bonello Film Music Album Announced".
19. "L'Apollonide - Souvenirs de la Maison Close {{!}} Conversation entre Bertrand Bonello et Laure Adler".
20. "Berlinale {{!}} Programme - Coma".
21. Katz, David. (15 February 2022). "Bertrand Bonello • Director of Coma".
22. de Baecque, Antoine. (13 August 2003). ""La ville a un aspect ultime village gaulois". Bertrand Bonello à Montréal.".
23. "Où en êtes-vous, Bertrand Bonello?".
24. "Finite Rants".
25. (4 September 2015). "Nomination dans l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres juillet 2015".