Francis Palluau

The source of Francis Palluau's bold and unusual aesthetic might be traced back to his training in an acting workshop at the Théâtre de l'Atelier in Paris from 1976 to 1977. Founded in 1922 by famous actor and instructor Charles Dullin (who taught a young Antonin Artaud), the theater's emphasis on the avant-garde -- its repertoire has included works by Beckett and Ionesco -- undoubtedly influenced Palluau's creative approach. After a stint directing and acting in plays, Palluau turned his efforts toward a career as a writer in film and television. He co-wrote an episode of the police drama "Le R.I.F." in 1996 and an episode of the French crime series "Les Cordier, juge et flic" in 1997. He exercised his absurd sense of humor in the 2000 comedy "Deuxiéme vie," which he co-wrote with director Patrick Braoudé, but it was not until he wrote and directed his first feature film, "Welcome to the Roses" (2003), that his surreal vision flourished. The satirical film concerns two criminals on the run who take an average bourgeois family hostage. After a bizarre series of violent twists and turns, the family turns out to be far different than appearances suggested, and the stupefied criminals turn into the hostages in the sort of reversal of expectations that forms the crux of Palluau's comic style.