Anne Fontaine

French writer-director Anne Fontaine became a critical and box office favorite in the '90s and 2000s on the strength of her complicated, often intense dramas about love and sexuality, which included "Dry Cleaning" (1997), "Coco Before Chanel" (2009) and "Adore" (2013). A former dancer and actress, Fontaine established herself on the arthouse circuit with the Cesar-nominated "Dry Cleaning," about a couple's involvement with a drag performer. The film set the tone for her subsequent work, which included the provocative "Nathalie " (2003), which served as the inspiration for Atom Egoyan's 2009 film "Chloe," before achieving a major international hit with the BAFTA-nominated "Chanel," starring Audrey Tautou. Her first English-language film, "Adore," with Naomi Watts and Robin Wright, followed in 2013. Fontaine's uncompromising body of work and the critical acclaim it generated underscored her status as a major figure in world film.