Alain Corneau was born in Orleans, France. He was a jazz musician before studying editing and directing at L’Institut des Hautes Études Cinématographiques (IDHEC), and began his film career as an assistant director for Costa-Gavras, among others. He has won several awards for his films, which include France société anonyme (74), La Menace (77), Le Choix des armes (81), Fort Saganne (84), Nocturne indien (89), Tous les matins du monde (91), Le Nouveau monde (95), Les Enfants de Lumière (95), Le Prince du Pacifique (00), Les Mots bleus (05), Le Deuxième Souffle (07) and Crime d’amour (10).