Élie Chouraqui

French director and screenwriter, Elie Chouraqui was born in Paris, France. Not impressed by film as a youth, Chouraqui instead turned to literature for enjoyment. His love of literature shifted slightly after working on the film Smic, Smac, Smoc (1971) with director Claude Lelouch. Chouraqui continued to work for Lelouch as his assistant director in the early to mid-70s, while at the same time beginning to work on his own screenplay.

By 1978, Chouraqui made his directorial and screenwriting debut when he released the feature film Mon Premier Amour (My Fist Love). Only 24 years old at the time, movie goers were impressed with his work which was presented at film festivals worldwide. To make the film, he created his own production company, 7 Films Cinema, which continued to produce his other films such as Qu’est-ce qui fait courir David? (What Makes David Run) (1981), Paroles et musique (Love Song) (1984), Les Marmottes (The Groundhog) (1993), and Les Menteurs (The Liars) (1996).

In 1996, the company expanded its operation to include television, advertising and music publishing as well as film production. As well as a published author, Chouraqui is also the founder of the company, 7 Art Production. —tribute.ca