Alain Berbérian

French director and screenwriter Alain Berbérian entered the film industry in 1989 when he directed the five-minute comedy sketch "ABCD Nuls," the first televised representation of his unique brand of parody as a member of the comedy quartet Les Nuls. The group earned their own sketch comedy series in 1990, "Les nuls, l'émission," which served as the French answer to "Saturday Night Live." Fresh off the success of this series, Berbérian directed the comedians of Nuls once again, but this time on the big screen; his zany 1994 comedy "La Cité de la peur" poked fun at the American film industry, spoofing such blockbusters as "The Terminator" and "Pretty Woman." After his next comedy, "Paparazzi," fared well with audiences, Berbérian switched gears and directed the thriller "Six-Pack," a project that turned out to be a critical and commercial flop. He returned to form--and box-office success--with his wacky 2002 action comedy, "Dead Weight," before scoring the opportunity to direct international star Jean Reno in the zany caper flick "L'enquête Corse," based on the comic book by René Pétillon. The film showed Berbérian moving away from his trademark outrageous style of comedy and aiming for a more natural, reserved approach inspired by the films of the 1960s.