Gondry at The Green Hornet photocall in Madrid, December 2, 2010
Michel Gondry (born 8 May 1963) is a French screenwriter and film director who directed the feature film adaptation of the Green Hornet. Other films he has written and/or directed include Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep, and Be Kind, Rewind. He, along with co-screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, was awarded the 2024 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for their work on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Early Life and Music Video Work[]
Michel Gondry was raised in Versailles, France, with a family who was very influenced by pop music. When he was young, Gondry wanted to be a painter or an inventor. In the 1980s he enrolled in a Parisian art school where he could develop his graphic skills and where he also met friends with whom he created a pop-rock band called Oui-Oui. The band released two albums (Chacun tout le monde and Formidable) and several singles until their separation in 1992. Gondry was the drummer of the band and also directed their video clips in which it was possible to see his strange world, influenced by the 60s and by his childhood. One of his videos was shown on MTV and when Björk saw it, she asked him to make her first solo video for 'Human Behaviour'. The partnership is famous: Gondry directed five other Björk's videos, benefiting by the huge budgets. This led to commissions for other artists around the world, including Massive Attack. He also made a lot of commercials for Gap, Smirnoff, Air France, Nike, Coca Cola, Adidas, Polaroid and Levi - the latter making him the most highly-awarded director for a one-off commercial.
Feature Filmmaking Career[]
Hollywood became interested in Gondry's success and he directed his first feature film Human Nature (2001), adapting a Charlie Kaufman's scenario, which was shown in the 2001 Cannes Festival. Although it wasn't a big success, this film allowed him to direct Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), for which he again collaborated with Charlie Kaufman. The movie became a popular independent film and he and his co-writers won an Oscar for it.
Feature Filmography[]
- Human Nature (2001) (Director only)
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) (Director, co-written with Charlie Kaufman)
- The Science of Sleep (2006) (Director, Screenwriter & Producer)
- Be Kind Rewind (2008) (Director & Screenwriter)
- The Green Hornet (2011) (Director only)
- The We and the I (2012) (Director, Co-written with Paul Proch and Jeff Grimsha)
- Mood Indigo (2013) (Director, Co-written with Luc Bossi)
- Microbe & Gasoline (2015) (Director & Screenwriter)
- The Book of Solutions (2023) (Director & Screenwriter)