Coline Serreau (born 29 October 1947) is a French actress, film director and writer.

Early life and education

She was born in Paris, the daughter of theatre director Jean-Marie Serreau and actress Geneviève Serreau. In Paris, Serreau studied literature, music and theatre and is a trained organist and trapeze artist.

Her stage work began at the Comédie Française and she has written many plays. Her film debut in 1977 was Pourquoi pas!, a love triangle story which was a success around Europe.

Her 1985 comedy Trois hommes et un couffin (remade in the US as Three Men and a Baby was the most commercially successful film of the 1980s in French.

Career

In 1970, she made her debut as an actress at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier.[citation needed]

Serreau wrote her first screenplay in 1973.[citation needed]

Her first film, the documentary film Mais qu'est-ce qu'elles veulent? (1978), literally: But What Is It That They Want?, was a compilation of interviews with women from various backgrounds. The frankness of the statements shocked parts of the public.

Her biggest commercial success was the comedy film Three Men and a Cradle (Trois hommes et un couffin; 1985), for which she received three César Awards in 1986. It was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

In 1986, her first drama for the stage Lapin Lapin (Rabbit Rabbit), directed by Benno Besson, had its world premiere. She collaborated with Besson for several years and he also staged Le théâtre de verdure (1987) and Quisaitout et Grobêta (1993).

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1974On s'est trompé d'histoire d'amourScreenplay and role of Anne
1977Why Not! (Pourquoi pas)Writer, Director
1978Mais qu'est ce qu'elles veulent?Writer, Director
1979Grand-mère de l'IslamWriter, Director
1982Qu'est-ce qu'on attend pour être heureuxWriter, DirectorShort documentary
1985Three Men and a Cradle (Trois hommes et un couffin)Writer, Director
1989Mama, There's a Man in Your Bed (Romuald et Juliette)Writer, Director
1992La CriseWriter, Director
1996La Belle VerteWriter, Director, role of Mila
2001ChaosWriter, Director
200318 ans aprèsWriter, Director
2005Saint-Jacques… La MecqueWriter, Director
2010Solutions locales pour un désordre globalWriter, Director
2014Tout est permisWriter, Director
2014Couleur localeCo-writer and co-director with Samuel TasinajeTV film
2015Pierre Brossolette ou les passagers de la luneDirectorTV film

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultNotes
1978Chicago International Film FestivalGold Hugo (Best Feature)Pourquoi pas!Nominated
1982Venice Film FestivalGolden LionQu'est-ce qu'on attend pour être heureux!Nominated
1985National Academy of Cinema, FranceAcademy Award3 hommes et un couffinWon
1986Academy AwardsAcademy Award for Best International Feature Film3 hommes et un couffin
1986César Awards, FranceBest Film (Meilleur film)3 hommes et un couffinWon
Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation (Meilleur scénario original ou adaptation)Won
Best Director (Meilleur réalisateur)Nominated
1991BAFTA AwardsBest Film Not in the English LanguageRomuald et JulietteNominated
1993César Awards, FranceBest Film (Meilleur film)La criseNominated
Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation (Meilleur scénario original ou adaptation)Won
2002Norwegian International Film FestivalAudience AwardChaosWon
Norwegian Film Critics AwardWon
2002César Awards, FranceBest Film (Meilleur film)ChaosNominated
Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation (Meilleur scénario original ou adaptation)Nominated
2010São Paulo International Film FestivalAudience AwardSolutions locales pour un désordre globalWon

See also

Further reading

  • Colville, G. (1993). "On Coline Serreau's Mais qu'est ce qu'elles veulent? and the Problematics of Feminist Documentary". French Cinema. Nottingham French Studies. Vol. 32. No.1. pp. 84–89.

External links