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Maïwenn

Maïwenn

Actor · b. 1976 · Les Lilas, Seine-Saint-Denis, France

Maïwenn Aurélia Nedjma Le Besco, known mononymously as Maïwenn, is a French actress and filmmaker. Maïwenn starred in several films as a child, then teen, actress—notably as "Elle, as a child" (the child version of the lead role played by Isabelle Adjani) in the 1983 hit film L'été meurtrier (One Deadly Summer). Following her marriage to director Luc Besson and the birth of their daughter in 1993, Maïwenn interrupted her career for several years. During this period, she only appeared in a supporting part in Besson's Léon (1994), in which she was credited as Ouin-Ouin. She also directed the film's making-of. Perhaps Maïwenn's most internationally-seen film role was her appearance as the alien Diva Plavalaguna in Besson's The Fifth Element (1997). After she and Besson divorced, Maïwenn returned to France. She performed as a stand-up comedian in an autobiographical one-woman-show, and reentered the movie business after several filmmakers saw her comedy routine in Paris. She appeared in several notable movies, including the horror film Haute Tension (English title: High Tension), in which she starred opposite Cécile de France. By the time the film came out in 2003, she had decided she wanted to try directing. In 2006, Maïwenn wrote and directed her first feature film, Pardonnez-moi, a drama about a dysfunctional family.[6][10] She also starred in the film which earned her nominations for the César Award for Best First Feature Film and César Award for Most Promising Actress in the 2007. Her second film was Le bal des actrices (2009, All About Actresses), in which she appears as herself making a documentary. She achieved international recognition when her third film, the social drama Polisse (2011), won the Jury Prize at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. Maïwenn's 2015 film Mon roi was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. She co-wrote, directed, and starred in the 2020 film, DNA, an Official Selection of the 2020 Cannes Film Festival which was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic. She co-wrote, directed, and starred in her first period film, the 2023 film Jeanne du Barry about the life of Madame du Barry with Louis XV portrayed by Johnny Depp, which opened the 2023 Cannes Film Festival out of competition and earned the highest French gross for a Cannes opening film since 2013.

Movies24

  • Movie8.3

    Léon

    Léon: The Professional

    1994 · 16K votes

  • Movie7.6

    Le Cinquième Élément

    The Fifth Element

    1997 · 12K votes

  • Movie6.8

    Haute Tension

    High Tension

    2003 · 1.5K votes

  • Movie6.9

    Jeanne du Barry

    2023 · 720 votes

  • Movie7.0

    L'Été meurtrier

    One Deadly Summer

    1983 · 243 votes

  • Movie5.8

    Un Coup de dés

    Breaking Point

    2024 · 96 votes

  • Movie7.8

    Polisse

    2011 · 1.3K votes

  • Movie5.9

    ADN

    DNA

    2020 · 167 votes

  • Movie5.8

    Neneh Superstar

    2023 · 28 votes

  • Movie5.6

    L'amour est un crime parfait

    Love Is the Perfect Crime

    2013 · 114 votes

  • Movie6.2

    The Man in the Hat

    2020 · 18 votes

  • Movie6.1

    Lacenaire

    The Elegant Criminal

    1990 · 12 votes

  • Movie4.9

    Sœurs

    Sisters

    2021 · 18 votes

  • Movie5.9

    Le Bal des actrices

    All About Actresses

    2009 · 112 votes

  • Movie5.6

    Tralala

    2021 · 42 votes

  • Movie5.5

    Le prix du succès

    The Price of Success

    2017 · 72 votes

  • Movie3.9

    All Inclusive

    2019 · 334 votes

  • Movie6.3

    Les Miens

    Our Ties

    2022 · 72 votes

  • Movie8.0
  • Movie5.8

    Pardonnez-moi

    2006 · 29 votes

  • Movie10.0

    L'Autre nuit

    The Other Night

    1988 · 1 votes

  • Movie5.6

    Le Courage d'aimer

    The Courage to Love

    2005 · 10 votes

  • Movie3.3

    Double Face

    1987 · 3 votes

  • Movie5.8

Series5

  • TV5.1

    Quotidien

    2016 · 19 votes

  • TV6.0

    Zone interdite

    1993 · 3 votes

  • TV5.1

    On n'est pas couché

    2006 · 5 votes

  • TV3.7

    Salut les Terriens !

    2006 · 5 votes

  • TV6.2

    Nox

    2018 · 21 votes