Patrice Leconte

Patrice Leconte (French: [patʁis ləkɔ̃t]), born on 12 November 1947, is a prominent figure in the French film industry. Originally from Tours, Leconte ventured into the realm of amateur filmmaking at the tender age of 15. His pursuit of cinema lured him to Paris in 1967, where he participated in a study at Institut des hautes études cinématographiques. Interestingly, during his film school days in the late 1960s, he diversified his creative outlets by working as a cartoonist for the Franco-Belgian comics magazine Pilote. His directorial journey commenced with his first feature film in 1976, achieving several major successes with comedy films that, unfortunately, experienced limited distribution beyond borders of France.

His international breakthrough arrived in 1989 with Monsieur Hire, showcased at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. It presented a radical departure from his previous works and positioned Leconte prominently on the global stage. Since then, he has directed an array of films, including 'Ridicule' and 'L'homme du train', resonating with international arthouse market as well as others, such as 'Les Grands Ducs' which mainly found appeal limited to France. In the 2000s, Leconte's influence extended to the United States with the successful releases of 'Girl on the Bridge', 'The Widow of Saint-Pierre', 'Man on the Train' and 'Intimate Strangers'. He remains the only foreign filmmaker whose impact on United States arthouses is rivaled by none, even Pedro Almodóvar. His film 'The Suicide Shop' was screened at the Newport Beach Film Festival in Newport Beach, California, on 28 April and 2 May 2013.