Florian Zeller

Florian Zeller (born 28 June 1979 ) is a French novelist, playwright, theatre director, screenwriter, and film director. He has written over a dozen plays, that have been staged worldwide and have made him one of the most celebrated contemporary playwrights.

Zeller wrote and directed his first film, 2020's The Father, based on his play of the same name, starring Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman. The film received more than 200 nominations and awards, all over the world, including two Oscars at the 93rd Academy Awards. Since then, it has been cited as one of the best films of the 2020s and the 21st century.

In 2023, Zeller received France's Legion of Honor. Illustrious recipients of France's highest decoration includes Robert Redford, Miles Davis, David Lynch, Charlie Chaplin or Josephine Baker.

Early life and education
Florian Zeller was born in Paris in 1979, the middle child of three. He was raised by his grandmother and mother, as his father worked and lived in Germany. A coma caused by a serious asthma attack at the age of 15 changed the course of his life, as he said later: "I think it’s at that moment that worry and writing entered my life". He began studies at the Sciences Po, but dropped out in order to focus on his writing.

Career
Zeller wrote his first novel, Artificial Snow, when he was 22. His third novel, The Fascination of Evil, made him a household name in France. It was selected for the Prix Goncourt. His play, The Father, played in London's West End to critical acclaim and top listings in the Best Plays of the Year. It was considered as "the most acclaimed new play of the last decade". and won several awards and nominations in Paris, London and New York.

According to The Times, The Father is "one of the greatest plays of the century".

His comedy, The Truth, opened in the West End in June 2017 and received an Olivier Award nomination for Best Comedy. His play, The Height of the Storm, starring Jonathan Pryce and Eileen Atkins, opened in London's West End in September 2018 and on New York's Broadway in September 2019. It has been named "best play of 2018", and "one of the best plays of the 21st century" by The Guardian.

His play, The Mother, starring Isabelle Huppert, opened in New York in February 2019. The Son opened in London in February 2019 and transferred to the West End in September 2019 with rave reviews.

His plays have been staged in more than 45 countries.

The Father
Zeller wrote and directed his first film, 2020's The Father, based on his play. It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on 27 January 2020. The film received acclaim from critics, who lauded Hopkins and Colman's performances and praised its depiction of dementia. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 98% based on 165 reviews, with an average rating of 8.50/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Led by stellar performances and artfully helmed by writer-director Florian Zeller, The Father presents a devastatingly empathetic portrayal of dementia." At Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 88 out of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

At the 78th Golden Globe Awards, the film received four nominations, including Best Motion Picture – Drama. It also received six nominations at the 74th British Academy Film Awards, including Best Film, and six Oscars nominations. Zeller and Christopher Hampton won a BAFTA and an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the film.

It is, according to The Times, "one of the greatest cinematic experiences of the decade".

In 2021, it was included on Forbes's list of "The Top 150 Greatest Films Of The 21st Century." In 2022, Time Out ranked it number 93 on its list of the "100 Best Films of the 21st Century So Far", writing that the film "communicates perfectly what dementia must feel like: a world stripped of its signposts, a feeling of being uncoupled, a sense of the familiar slowly becoming frighteningly 'other'." In 2023, it ranked number 2 on Collider's list of "The 20 Best Drama Movies of the 2020s So Far." It also ranked number 27 on its list of the "30 Best Drama Movies of All Time,"

The Son
In March and April 2021, it was announced that Zeller co-wrote with Christopher Hampton and will direct their adaptation of The Son (which serves as Zeller's and Hampton's follow-up to The Father), with Hugh Jackman, Laura Dern and Vanessa Kirby to star in the film. The film premiered in September 2022 at Venice Film Festival, where it earned rare 10-minutes standing ovation after the screening.

Personal life
Zeller lives in Paris. In 2010, he married ex-model, actress and sculptor Marine Delterme, who played one of the main roles in the Parisian production of his play Le Manège. Their son, Roman, was born in December 2008. His stepson, Gabriel, was born in 1998 to his wife and her previous partner Jean-Philippe Écoffey.

Films

 * 2020: The Father (writer and director)
 * 2022: The Son (writer and director)

Plays

 * 2004: L'Autre
 * 2005: Le Manège
 * 2006: Si tu mourais
 * 2008: Elle t'attend
 * 2010: The Mother (2015 in London, 2019 in New York)
 * 2011: The Truth (2017 in London)
 * 2012: Le Père (The Father) (2014 in London, 2016 in New York, adapted into the 2020 film 'The Father')
 * 2013: Une heure de tranquillité (adapted into the 2014 film Do Not Disturb)
 * 2014: The Lie (2017 in London)
 * 2016: L'Envers du décor (adapted into the 2018 film The Other Woman)
 * 2016: The Height of the Storm (2018 in London, 2019 in New York)
 * 2018: Le Fils (The Son) (2019 in London, adapted into the 2022 film The Son)
 * 2021: The Forest (2021 in London)

Novels

 * 2002: Artificial Snow
 * 2003: Lovers or Something Like It
 * 2004: The Fascination of Evil
 * 2006: Julien Parme
 * 2012: La Jouissance