Luc Besson (b. 1959)

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Biography

Luc Paul Maurice Besson is a French filmmaker. He directed and produced the films Subway (1985), The Big Blue (1988), and La Femme Nikita (1990). Associated with the Cinéma du look film movement, he has been nominated for a César Award for Best Director and Best Picture for his films Léon: The Professional (1994) and The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999). He won Best Director and Best French Director for his sci-fi action film The Fifth Element (1997). He wrote and directed the sci-fi action film Lucy (2014), the space opera film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017), Dogman (2023), and the fantasy romantic movie Dracula (2025).

In Their Own Words (5)

You know, money will never save anyone. Compassion can save someone, love can save someone, money will never save anyone. And as long as the entire society will put money first... Money should be like third or fourth or fifth, I'm not saying lets get rid of money, but how can we put money as number one? As the only value, like if you are rich, you're famous you go VIP, why? It's just insane, the way we've transformed the society. - Interview for The Huffpost (2017)

2014

Life was given to us a billion years ago. What have we done with it?

2014

You no trouble. Me... Fifth element... supreme being... me protect you.

1997

Sometimes I see people finish a film and they go, "Yeah, that was good. Where are we going to eat?" - Interview for The Slashfilm (2016)

2014

Loving a film is like falling in love with a woman or with a man like you never expect it. It's not the one you think you will be in love with, you know. You think always that he will be with a beard, and black, and big and finally he's Chinese and you know it's the same thing. There's something very organic about the film and if you forgot it, if you don't have this seed in it...this organic flavor in it the film doesn't work it's wrong. - Interview for The Collider (2016)

2014

Timeline

The story of Luc Besson, told in moments.

1988 Event

Directs The Big Blue, a film about competitive free diving. It flops in the U.S. but becomes a cult phenomenon in France, playing in Parisian theaters for over a year. Young French audiences see it dozens of times.

Did The Big Blue failing in the US but becoming cult in France feel validating? What made French audiences see it dozens of times? Was competitive free diving a metaphor for obsession?

1994 Event

Releases Leon: The Professional. Jean Reno as a hitman. A 12-year-old Natalie Portman in her film debut. Gary Oldman chewing every set piece to splinters. It makes $46 million worldwide and launches Portman's career.

Was casting a 12-year-old Natalie Portman a risk? Did Leon feel like your masterpiece at the time? What made Gary Oldman devour every scene?

1997 Event

The Fifth Element opens. Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Chris Tucker in orange hair. Jean-Paul Gaultier designs the costumes. It costs $90 million and makes $264 million. Critics are split. Audiences don't care.

Was Jean-Paul Gaultier designing costumes for The Fifth Element a collaboration or a carnival? Did $264 million prove the critics wrong? Is The Fifth Element serious filmmaking or glorious excess?

2000 Life

Founds EuropaCorp, a studio built to make French films that compete globally. Over the next two decades, it produces the Taken and Transporter franchises, turning mid-budget action films into a reliable export business.

Did founding EuropaCorp fulfill an ambition about French cinema? Was turning mid-budget action into exports a business plan or instinct? Are the Taken franchise your legacy?