ZALIS GLOSSARY: besson-luc-
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About Luc Besson
Writer, director and producer Luc Besson was seduced by the inner workings of the French cinema industry at the age of 17. Following a steady climb through the ranks, during which time he continued to write, he eventually directed his first short film starring an actor he had earlier befriended, Jean Reno. The film, "L'avant Dernier", was the genesis of his first full- length feature entitled "Le Dernier Combat". The film, a silent French science fiction movie shot entirely in black and white, was lauded at the Avoriaz Festival in 1983 winning the jury Grand Prize and critics prize, proving to be the start of a major career. A string of hit films followed, with Besson taking the role of writer, director, and sometimes producer, on movies including "Subway" (1985), "The Big Blue" (1988), "Nikita" (1990), "Leon" (1995), "Nil by Mouth" (Producer, 1997), "The Fifth Element" (1997), "Taxi" (1998), "Joan of Arc" (1999), and "Kiss of the Dragon" (2000) amongst numerous others. In 2001 Besson co-founded a new independent European film studio, EuropaCorp with an impressive remit. In 2002 Besson completed and published the first book in the "Arthur and the Minimoys" series in France generating sales in excess of 200,000. Successful sequels followed with the books now available across the globe. The animated feature film of the same name is currently in production and represents the first European-made 3D animated feature film produced with a Hollywood budget for global release.