Mnouchkine, Ariane

(March 3, 1939, Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France - )

   The daughter of French producer Alexandre Mnouchkine (1908-1993), she dedicated her life to theater. In 1964, she founded the Théâtre du Soleil (situated at the Montparnasse Circus first and then at the Cartoucherie de Vincennes) and notably directed Shakespeare's plays (A Midsummer Night's Dream, Ri­chard II, Henry IV, Twelfth Night). In 1974, she brought to the screen one of her most successful shows (1789). She had choreographed some action scenes of Duccio Tessari's Arrivano i Titani / Les Titans / UK: Sons of Thunder / USA: My Son, the Hero / The Titans (Italy / France, 1962) and co-written and co-adapted Philippe de Broca's L'Homme de Rio / L'uomo di Rio / UK and USA: That Man from Rio (France / Italy, 1964). Her maternal grandfather was British stage actor Nicholas Hannen.

 Filmography

1974 ◘ 1789 (also screenwriter, dialogist)

1978 ◘ Molière (also screenwriter, dialogist; France / Italy; shot in 1976-1977)

 Television Filmography

1981 ◘ Molière, ou la Vie d'un honnête Homme / USA: Molière (5 X 55'; also screenwriter, dialogist; France / Italy)

1989 ◘ La Nuit miraculeuse

2003 ◘ Tambours sur la Digue (also stage director)

2006 ◘ Le Dernier Caravansérail (2 X 134')