Anne Fontaine, a renowned filmmaker and screenwriter, was born in Luxembourg in 1959. She began her career as an actor before transitioning to filmmaking. Fontaine lives and works in France, where she has established herself as a prominent figure in contemporary French cinema.
Born Fontaine Sibertin-Blanc, she is the sister of actor Jean-Chrétien Sibertin-Blanc. Her early life was marked by her family's relocation to Lisbon, where her father, Antoine Sibertin-Blanc, was a music professor and cathedral organist. Fontaine's parents later moved to Paris, where she trained in dance with Joseph Russillo and pursued her academic education, including philosophy.
Fontaine's personal life is also notable, as she is married to film producer Philippe Carcassonne and has an adopted son born in Vietnam. Her professional career took off when she was cast as Esmeralda in a 1980 theatrical production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, directed by Robert Hossein. Around this time, she began using the name Anne Fontaine.
Fontaine's early acting career included roles in comedies such as Si ma gueule vous plaît... (1981) and P.R.O.F.S. (1985). She later transitioned to assistant directing, working on a 1986 stage production of Céline's Voyage au bout de la nuit (Journey to the End of the Night) at the Renaud-Barrault theatre.
Fontaine's breakthrough as a solo director came with her 1993 film Les histoires d'amour finissent mal... en général (Love Affairs Usually End Badly),which won the Prix Jean Vigo award. She went on to collaborate with her brother on the comic Augustin in 1995 and wrote and directed the successful Nettoyage à Sec (Dry Cleaning) in 1997. The film won the Best Screenplay award at the Venice Film Festival and is widely regarded as a milestone in Fontaine's career.
Fontaine's subsequent films include Augustin, Roi Du Kung-Fu (Augustin, King of Kung-Fu) in 1999, Comment j'ai tué mon père (How I Killed My Father) in 2001, Nathalie... in 2003, Entre Ses Mains (In His Hands) in 2005, Nouvelle chance (Oh La La) in 2006, La fille de Monaco (The Girl From Monaco) in 2008, and Coco avant Chanel (Coco Before Chanel) in 2009.
Fontaine's work is characterized by its complexity and nuance, often blending elements of psychological drama and thriller. She has stated that she aims to explore her characters' blind spots, revealing the unconscious motivations and desires that drive their actions. Her films often feature elements of irony and cruelty, as she seeks to explore the darker aspects of human nature.
