Alain Resnais dies at 91

Industry mourns French director.

by Amber Wilkinson

Alain Resnais arrives for the photocall of You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet! (Vous n'avez encore rien vu!) presented in  competition at the 65th Cannes film festival in 2012.
Alain Resnais arrives for the photocall of You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet! (Vous n'avez encore rien vu!) presented in competition at the 65th Cannes film festival in 2012. Photo: Vous n'avez encore rien vu © FIF/LF (Courtesy Cannes Film Festival)

French director Alain Resnais has died at aged 91.

The Last Year In Marienbad director - whose latest film The Life Of Riley won an award for innovation and the FIPRESCI prize at last month's Berlin Film Festival - passed away on Saturday, surrounded by his family, his producer Jean-Louis Livi told the French press agency AFP.

Born in 1922, the filmmaker enjoyed a career that spanned more than some six decades and more than 45 films, including Private Fears In Public Places, Night And Fog, Wild Grass and the BAFTA winning Hiroshima Mon Amour.

In 2009, he was given a special award from the Cannes Film Festival for his body of work.

Read our full obituary.

Share this with others on...
News

Stories still unspoken Interview with Thomas Pollack, Andrew McNeill and Katarina Kokenyova about Rozkvet

Where crows are watching JP Davidson and Craig Russell on nature, belief, UK horror and The Cull

Truth and lies Sean Hogan on true crime documentaries, unknowable characters and The Dark Gets In

A walking contradiction Sinéad O'Shea on James 'Fergie' Chambers Jr and All About The Money

Unconventional families Milcho Manchevski on being blacklisted and making Sister Brother Manhole Cover

Expecting the unexpected Jordan Mark Windsor and Sean Wallace on Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant

More news and features

We're bringing you all the latest news and reviews from the Belfast Film Festival, the Cheltenham International Film Festival and the Leeds International Film Festival.



We're looking forward to the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, the French Film Festival and DOC NYC.



We've recently brought you coverage of Halloween Frightfest, the Scottish Queer International Film Festival, Newfest, the London Film Festival, the New York Film Festival, Grimmfest and Beyond Fest.



Read our full for more.


Visit our festivals section.

Interact

Don't forget that you can follow us on YouTube for trailers of festival films and more. You can also find us on Mastodon, Instagram and Bluesky.


It's a busy time for festivals and here's the latest:


Sundance Announces Legacy line-up of archive films


Frightfest Newcastle event announced for May 2027


French Film Festival UK Programme announced


Tallinn Black Nights Documentary line-up and Special Screenings announced


London Winners announced