Claire Denis (born 21 April 1946) is a French filmmaker, screenwriter and occasional actress. Born in Paris, but raised in various parts of Africa, she made a career assisting other directors—primarily Costa-Gavras, Wim Wenders and Jim Jarmusch—before debuting with her own film, Chocolat, in 1988. She has since then made twelve feature films, three documentary films, in addition to several short films for anthology film series.[1]
Denis often works with the same actors and technicians, her artistic collaboration having been called "vital", "crucial", and a "keystone throughout her career".[1][2]: 2–3 The director of photographyAgnès Godard has shot almost every feature by Denis, and has said of the director that "[s]he has the faith and the belief that an association of ideas that's concise and that is based on pure cinematography — the choice of a frame, a focal point, the climate of the light — says something, and the idea that gluing those images together is going to create a sense."[3] Denis often collaborates with Jean-Pol Fargeau on her scripts.[4][5]
Her collaboration with Stuart Staples of the Tindersticks has been particularly noted. The band has on occasion performed live renditions of their songs from Denis' oeuvre, accompanied by screenings of film clips. These live performances have been analysed as examples of Paul Ricœur's theory of discourse as performance.[2]
Denis has cast Vincent Gallo(left), Béatrice Dalle(center) and Isaach de Bankolé(right) in several of her films. Both Dalle and Gallo had worked with her in the 1990s, and appeared together in the horror filmTrouble Every Day (2001). Bankolé played a supporting role in her début film, Chocolat (1988), and had a minor role in White Material (2009); both films were set in Africa.
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