The Double Lover

Having studied directing at the French film school La Femis, Ozon made several short films such as A Summer Dress (1996) and Bedtime Stories (1998) that already display his defining style. His motion picture directing debut was Sitcom (1998), which was well received by both critics and audiences. After the Fassbinder adaptation Water Drops օn Burning Rocks (2000) came the film which made his name outside France, 8 Women, starring icons of the French cinema such as Catherine Deneuve, Fanny Ardant, Isabelle Huppert and Emmanuelle Béart. The film became a huge commercial success. In 2003, Swimming Pool, which starred Charlotte Rampling and Ludivine Sagnier was released. It was considered by Ozon as a very personal film that gives insight into the difficult process of writing a novel or screenplay. In 2004, he directed the film 5x2. In 2005, his film Time to Leave was screened at various film festivals worldwide. Ozon's first full English-language production Angel was released in 2007. The film, based on a novel by British writer Elizabeth Taylor, follows the story of a poor girl who climbs Edwardian England's social ladder by becoming a romance writer. His film The Refuge had its world premiere at the Toronto IFF in 2009. His 2013 film Young & Beautiful was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes IFF. Ozon was elected as best screenwriter at the 2013 European Film Awards for his 2012 film In the House. His 2014 film, The New Girlfriend, premiered at the Toronto IFF in 2014.