A French-Tunisian director and actor born in Tunis in 1960, Abdellatif Kechiche moved to Nice at a young age, an experience that would profoundly influence his cinema. After starting out as an actor (often for André Téchiné), he made his directorial debut with Blame It on Voltaire (2000), but it was with the award-winning The Swordsman (2003) that he established his unmistakable style: a feverish, almost documentary-like naturalism, immersed in the banlieues and focused on the verbal and physical energy of youth. This visceral approach, which privileges bodies, food, dance, and community dynamics, explodes in the masterpiece Couscous (2007), which won an award in Venice. His method, based on grueling shoots and an obsessive search for emotional truth through improvisation and the exhaustion of his actors, reached its peak and breaking point with Blue is the Warmest Color (2013). The film won a historic Palme d'Or (shared, uniquely, with actresses Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux), but controversy over his working methods marred its reception. The subsequent films in the Mektoub, My Love saga continued his exploration of sensuality and desire, pushing his style towards a radical, controversial, and immersive aesthetic.