Pierre Jolivet

Biography

Pierre Jolivet (born 1952) is a French director, actor, screenwriter and producer. Working from the early 1980s onward, he has moved with ease between comedy, drama and performance, building a career that is well regarded in French cinema.

As an actor he has appeared in films such as Subway, and as a director and writer he has focused on popular stories and ordinary characters. His film Zim and Co. was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. My Little Business and Filles uniques are among his best-known works, while The Night Watchman won the Golden Goblet Award for Best Feature Film in 2015.

He comes from a family rooted in the arts: his brother Marc Jolivet is also an actor, screenwriter, director and humourist, and their parents were the author Jacques Jolivet and Arlette Thomas, the French voice of Calimero and Tweety. His work sits in the space between auteur cinema and mainstream French audiences.

Key films

• Kamikaze 1999 (1983): an early feature that shows his interest in genre and humour.
• My Little Business (1999): a everyday comedy that reflects his focus on modest characters.
• Mon Idole (2002): a film that blends humour and feeling in the relationships between its characters.
• Filles uniques (2003): a portrait of family life and emotional bonds.
• The Night Watchman (2015): his most decorated film, which won the Golden Goblet for Best Feature Film.