Director Jacques Audiard was in the spotlight at the 2025 Golden Globes this Sunday evening for his film “Emiliana Perez”, which won four titles, in Beverly Hills.
Jacques Audiard had a mixed evening at the Golden Globes. He saw his film, “Emilia Pérez”, garner no less than four awards but was snubbed in the best director category.
After numerous major awards on the French scene, Jacques Audiard hoped to be celebrated at a major academic ceremony. Finally, his film was well received in several categories such as best musical or comedy film and best foreign language film.
Outstripped by Brady Corbet (“The Brutalist”)
But as far as the individual prize is concerned, Jacques Audiard may have regrets. After receiving his first three nominations at the Golden Globes this year, the author of “A Prophet” (2009) or “Rust and Bone” (2012) was not crowned best director. It is Brady Corbet who succeeds Christopher Nolan, who received the distinction for “Oppenheimer”, in 2024. He fails in the same way as Sean Baker (author of the film “Anora”), Edward Berger (“Conclave”), Coralie Gargeat (“The Substance”) and Payal Kapadia (“All we Imagine as Light”).
The French director, screenwriter and editor already had a certain notoriety by winning three Césars for best director: “To Beat My Heart Stopped”, “Un Prophète” and “Dheepan”. The first two feature films mentioned even earned him the César for best film.
If he was destined for letters, Jacques Audiard quickly made a name for himself in the cinema by starting as an assistant editor in renowned projects: “The Tenant” (1976, directed by Roman Polanski) and “Judith Therpauve” ( 1978, by Patrice Chéreau). At the beginning of the 1980s, he became a screenwriter and began with “Professional” (1981) and “Mortelle ranque” (1983).
A rapid and continuous ascent
His directing career began a decade later, with the film “Watch Men Fall.” Jacques Audiard did not take long to glean his first title with the César for best first work for this film, in 1995. He followed up with a second project very appreciated by critics, where he rubbed shoulders with the same actors as in his first film: “Un very discreet hero.
In the 2000s, Jacques Audiard continued to gain popularity by signing major films such as “On My Lips” (César for Best Screenplay 2002), “The Beat My Heart Stopped” (2005) and “A Prophet” (2009). Even if he has worked with several renowned actors at this stage of his career (notably Matthieu Kassovitz and Vincent Cassel), it is in the 2010s that the director will rub shoulders with the most celebrities of world cinema.
He offers “De rouille et d’os” (2012), which notably features Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts, or “Les Frères Sisters” where he works with the famous John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix.
With a highly anticipated cast (Zoe Saldana and Selena Gomez), Jacques Audiard’s tenth film “Emilia Pérez” earned him his first Golden Globe nomination. Far from being a surprise, the feature film had already been acclaimed on the Croisette during the Cannes festival. The film particularly made its mark by receiving 10 nominations this year, the second highest total in the history of the Golden Globes behind “Nashville” (1975), which had eleven. He assumed his status as favorite of the evening by winning four titles, once again a record for this 82nd edition of the Golden Globes.
