Director · producer · cinematographer
Jean-Michel Carré.
Jean-Michel Carré, born in Paris on 26 July 1948, is a French director, documentary filmmaker, cinematographer, producer and screenwriter. He began studying medicine to become a surgeon before turning to cinema. He trained at IDHEC, graduating in directing and cinematography.
Awarded the “Feu vert pour l'aventure” grant, he shot a documentary on Cuba in 1968, which was immediately banned from television. It would not be the last: by his own account, nearly half of his films have at some point been kept off the air.
His cinema first focuses on those society locks away or ignores: inmates at Fleury-Mérogis (Femmes de Fleury, Galères de femmes), children, sex workers, and young people with autism, with whom he made his first fiction film, Visiblement je vous aime, starring Denis Lavant. He also films work: the Welsh miners of Charbons ardents, workers in distress in J'ai (très) mal au travail.
From the 2000s he turned to investigating world powers: Kursk, The Putin System (Prix Italia Grand Prix), Ukraine, China, the climate. He heads the production company Les Films du Grain de Sable.
Key dates
- 1948Born in Paris
- 1968Cuba si, first film, banned from TV
- 1977César nomination (L’Enfant prisonnier)
- 1995SACD Award at Cannes (Visiblement je vous aime)
- 2005FIGRA Grand Prix (Kursk)
- 2008Prix Italia Grand Prix (The Putin System)
- 2023Tibet, un autre regard
Filmography
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2FAQ
When was Jean-Michel Carré born?
Jean-Michel Carré was born on 26 July 1948 in Paris.
Where did Jean-Michel Carré study film?
After studying medicine, he trained at IDHEC (now La Fémis), graduating in directing and cinematography.
What was Jean-Michel Carré's first film?
His first film, Cuba si (1968), funded by the Feu vert pour l’aventure grant, was banned from French television.
How many films has Jean-Michel Carré made?
More than 50 films since 1968: creative documentaries, TV documentary series and fiction.
What are Jean-Michel Carré's best-known films?
The Putin System (2007), Kursk: A Submarine in Troubled Waters (2004), Charbons ardents (2000), J'ai (très) mal au travail (2007), Les Travailleu(r)ses du sexe (2009) and his fiction feature Visiblement je vous aime (1995).
What awards has Jean-Michel Carré received?
The Prix Italia Grand Prix and the Prix Europa Special Jury Prize for The Putin System, the FIGRA Grand Prix for Kursk, the SACD Coup de cœur Award at Cannes for Visiblement je vous aime, and nominations at the Emmy Awards and the César.
What are the themes of his films?
Prison and confinement, childhood, sex work, labour, disability, then geopolitics: Putin’s Russia, Ukraine, China and the climate.
Has Jean-Michel Carré made fiction films?
Yes: Visiblement je vous aime (1995), starring Denis Lavant and made with young people with autism and psychosis, and the TV film Drôle de genre (2003).
Who has Jean-Michel Carré co-directed with?
Notably Jill Emery (The Putin System; Ukraine: From Democracy to Chaos) and Adam Schmedes (Le Ghetto expérimental).
Why was Tibet, un autre regard not broadcast by Arte?
Arte co-produced the film, then refused to broadcast it in 2025 and asked for its credit to be removed. Jean-Michel Carré has taken legal action against the channel.