---
name: "Claire Denis"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/claire-denis"
fi1m_id: "claire-denis"
imdb_id: "nm0219136"
tmdb_id: 9888
wikidata_id: "Q238315"
roles: ["Director","Writer"]
born: "21 April 1946"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 4
average_as: "director"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-26T02:59:55.527882+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Claire Denis

## Identity

Claire Denis

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/claire-denis
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** claire-denis
- **IMDb ID:** nm0219136
- **TMDB ID:** 9888
- **Wikidata ID:** Q238315
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claire_Denis, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q238315, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0219136/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/9888

Director and writer. Born 21 April 1946 in Paris, France.

## Details

- **Work:** Director, Writer
- **Born:** 21 April 1946, Paris, France
- **Active:** 1984–2000
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 4: 1 directing, 3 crew
- **Frequently works with:** [Jean-Pol Fargeau](https://film.one/person/jean-pol-fargeau.md)
- **Berlin International Film Festival:** 1 Berlin prize (1 won)
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 86 (3), 2000s 86 (1)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claire_Denis, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q238315, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0219136/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/9888

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*Beau Travail*](https://film.one/film/beau-travail.md) (86)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Claire Denis is a French film director and screenwriter. Born in Paris on 21 April 1946, she began her career as an assistant director on films including *Paris, Texas* (1984) and *Wings of Desire* (1987).

Her feature debut was *Chocolat* (1988). She directed and co-wrote *No Fear, No Die* (1990) and *Beau Travail* (1999), the latter an adaptation of Herman Melville's *Billy Budd* set in the French Foreign Legion. Other notable works include *Trouble Every Day* (2001), *White Material* (2009), *Let the Sunshine In* (2017) and *High Life* (2018).

Denis has received awards including the Silver Bear for Best Director at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, criterion.com, nytimes.com.*

## On Fi1m (4)

### Directed (1) — the average rests on these

- *Beau Travail* (2000), Fi1m 86, Director, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/beau-travail.md)

### Crew (3)

- *Wings of Desire* (1987), Fi1m 88, First Assistant Director — [page](https://film.one/film/wings-of-desire.md)
- *Down by Law* (1986), Fi1m 83, Assistant Director — [page](https://film.one/film/down-by-law.md)
- *Paris, Texas* (1984), Fi1m 88, Assistant Director — [page](https://film.one/film/paris-texas.md)

## Complete filmography (91)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Avec Kim* (2026), Director, Writer
- *The Fence* (2026), Director, Screenplay
- *You Resemble Me* (2022), Executive Producer
- *Stars at Noon* (2022), Director, Screenplay
- *Both Sides of the Blade* (2022), Screenplay, Director
- *Le Soldat* (2022), Director
- *High Life* (2018), Director, Screenplay
- *Let the Sunshine In* (2017), Director, Screenplay
- *The Dog* (2016), Thanks
- *The Breidjing Camp* (2015), Narrator, Director, Writer
- *Contact* (2015), Director
- *Voilà l'enchaînement* (2014), Director
- *Venice 70: Future Reloaded* (2013), Director
- *Bastards* (2013), Director, Screenplay
- *Leviathan* (2013), Thanks
- *Granny's Funeral* (2012), as Une femme à l'enterrement
- *Aller au diable* (2011), Writer, Director
- *Écrans Noirs Film Festival, 2010* (2011), Narrator, Director
- *Here* (2011), Thanks
- *A Traveler's Memory: Jeonju Digital Project 2011* (2011), Director
- *On bosse ici! On vit ici! On reste ici!* (2010), Co-Director
- *Postcard Days* (2010), Thanks
- *White Material* (2010), Director, Screenplay
- *Sweetgrass* (2009), Thanks
- *35 Shots of Rum* (2009), Director, Writer
- *The Last Mistress* (2007), Thanks
- *Hotel Paradijs* (2007), Thanks
- *The Intruder* (2005), Director, Writer
- *Towards Mathilde* (2005), Director
- *Porn Theatre* (2002), Thanks
- *Ten Minutes Older: The Cello* (2002), Director, Screenplay
- *Friday Night* (2002), Director, Screenplay
- *Vers Nancy* (2002), Writer, Director
- *Trouble Every Day* (2001), Director, Writer
- *Beau Travail* (2000), Director, Screenplay — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/beau-travail.md)
- *The City* (1999), Writer
- *Venus Beauty Institute* (1999), as La cliente asmathique
- *Le Jour de Noël* (1998), Actor
- *We, France's Undocumented Immigrants* (1997), Co-Director
- *Nenette and Boni* (1997), Director, Writer
- *A propos d’une déclaration* (1997), Director
- *Irma Vep* (1996), Thanks
- *To Have (Or Not)* (1995), as Alice's Mother
- *The Corridor* (1995), Thanks
- *Concerning Nice* (1995), Director
- *Nice, Very Nice* (1995), Director
- *Duo* (1995), Director
- *U.S. Go Home* (1995), Director, Writer
- *All the Boys and Girls of Their Time* (1994), series, Director, Writer
- *I Can't Sleep* (1994), Director, Screenplay
- *Boom-Boom* (1994), Director
- *La Robe à cerceau* (1993), Writer, Director
- *Figaro Story* (1993), Director, Story
- *Monologues* (1993), series, Director, Writer
- *Night on Earth* (1991), Thanks
- *Lest We Forget* (1991), Director
- *Pour Ushari Ahmed Mahmoud (Soudan)* (1991), Director
- *Keep It for Yourself* (1991), Director, Story
- *For Ushari Ahmed Mahmoud* (1991), Director
- *No Fear, No Die* (1990), Director, Writer
- *Jacques Rivette, the Watchman* (1990), Director
- *Jacques Rivette le veilleur: 2-La nuit* (1990), Director
- *Man No Run* (1989), Director
- *Cinéma, de notre temps* (1989), series, Director
- *Chocolat* (1988), Director, Writer
- *Wings of Desire* (1987), First Assistant Director — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/wings-of-desire.md)
- *Down by Law* (1986), Assistant Director — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/down-by-law.md)
- *The Sacrifice* (1986), Casting
- *Paris, Texas* (1984), Assistant Director — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/paris-texas.md)
- *To Catch a King* (1984), First Assistant Director
- *Hanna K.* (1983), First Assistant Director
- *The Bastard* (1983), First Assistant Director, Casting Director
- *The Passerby* (1982), First Assistant Director
- *We're Not Angels... Neither Are They* (1981), Assistant Director
- *Heads or Tails* (1980), Assistant Director
- *The Imprint of Giants* (1980), Assistant Director
- *Zoo zéro* (1979), First Assistant Director
- *Return to the Beloved* (1979), Assistant Director
- *Mais où et donc Ornicar* (1979), as Jeune accouchée · First Assistant Director
- *Surreal Estate* (1976), First Assistant Director
- *The Old Gun* (1975), Assistant Director
- *The Golden Mass* (1975), Second Assistant Director
- *The Secret* (1974), Second Assistant Director
- *Sweet Movie* (1974), Second Assistant Director
- *Archetypal Library Concept for Kids in Clamart* (1973), Director
- *Jérôme Savary's Magic Circus* (1972), Director
- *Four Nights of a Dreamer* (1972), as Extra (uncredited)
- *May 15th* (1969), Director
- *New Reports from France* (1964), series, Director
- *Red Oedipal*, Thanks
- *The Soap Maker*, Director, Writer

## Gallery

- ![Claire Denis at Berlinale 2022](https://film.one/media/person/352141/gallery-284ad5baf2e2.jpg) Claire Denis at Berlinale 2022 — Elena Ternovaja, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Claire_Denis_at_Berlinale_2022_Ausschnitt.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Claire Denis at Berlinale 2022](https://film.one/media/person/352141/gallery-29d86c195e0c.jpg) Claire Denis at Berlinale 2022 — Elena Ternovaja, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Claire_Denis_at_Berlinale_2022.jpg/1280px-Claire_Denis_at_Berlinale_2022.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Claire Denis with Silver Bear for Best Director at Berlinale 2022](https://film.one/media/person/352141/gallery-2e591ddf8754.jpg) Claire Denis with Silver Bear for Best Director at Berlinale 2022 — Elena Ternovaja, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b1/Claire_Denis_with_Silver_Bear_for_Best_Director_at_Berlinale_2022_Picture_2.jpg/1280px-Claire_Denis_with_Silver_Bear_for_Best_Director_at_Berlinale_2022_Picture_2.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Claire Denis at 2026 Cannes Film Festival](https://film.one/media/person/352141/gallery-d4ed683ae02f.jpg) Claire Denis at 2026 Cannes Film Festival — John Sears, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Claire_Denis_at_2026_Cannes_International_Film_Festival_01.jpg/1280px-Claire_Denis_at_2026_Cannes_International_Film_Festival_01.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Claire Denis](https://film.one/media/person/352141/gallery-c9f7870bd623.jpg) Claire Denis — Image via TMDB
- ![Claire Denis](https://film.one/media/person/352141/gallery-bb564173957f.jpg) Claire Denis — Image via TMDB
- ![Claire Denis](https://film.one/media/person/352141/gallery-db91a41087b4.jpg) Claire Denis — Image via TMDB
- ![Claire Denis at 2026 Cannes Film Festival](https://film.one/media/person/352141/gallery-03a1af33d13d.jpg) Claire Denis at 2026 Cannes Film Festival — John Sears, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Claire_Denis_at_2026_Cannes_Film_Festival.jpg/1280px-Claire_Denis_at_2026_Cannes_Film_Festival.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![claire denis (1991)](https://film.one/media/person/352141/gallery-a14d6610eec8.jpg) claire denis (1991) — Gorup de Besanez, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/PER90108.jpg/1280px-PER90108.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### Berlin International Film Festival — 1 won

- 2011: Berliner Kunstpreis (won)

### Other awards — 1 won

- Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres 2022: Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/claire-denis