The Artist is a 2011 French comedy-drama film in the style of a black-and-white silent film or part-talkie. The film was written and directed by Michel Hazanavicius, produced by Thomas Langmann and stars Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo. The story takes place in Hollywood, between 1927 and 1932, and focuses on the relationship between a rising young actress and an older silent film star as silent cinema falls out of fashion and is replaced by the "talkies".
Theatrical release poster
Some of the cast and crew at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival: (left to right), score composer Ludovic Bource, director Michel Hazanavicius, stars Missi Pyle, Bérénice Bejo, and Jean Dujardin, director of photography Guillaume Schiffman and producer Thomas Langmann.
Image: Jean Dujardin Cannes 2011
Image: Berenice Bejo Cannes 2011 cropped
Michel Hazanavicius is a French film director, screenwriter, editor, and producer. He is best known for his 2011 film, The Artist, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 84th Academy Awards. It also won him the Academy Award for Best Director. He also directed spy film parodies OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2006) and OSS 117: Lost in Rio (2009).
Hazanavicius in 2017
Hazanavicius with his wife Bérénice Bejo.