Olivier Megaton

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Olivier Megaton
Olivier Megaton at Taken 3 Premiere in 2014
Born
Olivier Fontana

(1965-08-06) 6 August 1965 (age 58)
Paris, France
Occupation(s)Director, screenwriter, editor
Years active1996–present

Olivier Megaton (born Olivier Fontana; 6 August 1965)[1] is a French director, writer, and editor who directed the films The Red Siren, Transporter 3, Colombiana, Taken 2 and Taken 3.

Early life[edit]

Fontana was born in Paris, 20 years to the day after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and his choice of the artistic name Megaton was influenced by this. He grew up in a Paris banlieue, and after qualifying for a diploma in psychology, was active as a graphic artist and also adept in graffiti art. After meeting music video director Jean-Baptiste Mondino, he started working in films.[1][2][3][4] Fontana first started making shorts and video clips before finally directing feature films.[5]

He is of Italian descent.[6]

Career[edit]

Fontana has directed Exit, The Red Siren, Transporter 3, Taken 2 and Taken 3.[7] He was chosen to direct Mathilda, the sequel to Léon, but expressed the opinion that the film was unlikely to be made.[8] He also served as a second unit director for the film Hitman. His trademark technique in film directing involves intentionally disorienting camerawork and editing.[9]

Aside from filmmaking, Fontana is also a published author after his novel, entitled Le Facteur humain ("The Human Factor"), was released in 1998.[5] In 2021, Fontana returned to film production to release a Netflix documentary entitled "Monsters Inside: The 24 Faces of Billy Milligan", the documentary received criticism shortly after release for its stigmatism regarding dissociative identity disorder.

Filmography[edit]

Feature films[edit]

Director

Second unit director

Short films[edit]

Year Title Director Writer Notes
1996 Hard Head Yes No
1998 No Happy End Yes Yes
Je ne veux pas être sage Yes Yes Also editor
2002 Chrysalis Yes Yes Documentary short
2007 Angie Yes Yes

Television[edit]

Year Title Director Writer
1997 One Dance, One Song Yes No
1999 Histoires d'objets Yes No
Chambre n° 13 Yes No
2001 Les redoutables Yes No
2006 Sable noir Yes Yes
2021 Monsters Inside: The 24 Faces of Billy Milligan Yes No

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Olivier Megaton". Biographies et Filmographies. CinémaPassion. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2010. Olivier Megaton est né le 6 août 1965, soit vingt ans jour pour jour après la première explosion nucléaire à Hiroshima. D'où son pseudonyme ... alors que son vrai nom est Fontana. Son enfance se déroule en banlieue parisienne, marquée par un goût prononcé pour le dessin. / Olivier Megaton was born August 6, 1965, twenty years to the day after the first nuclear explosion in Hiroshima. Hence his nickname ... while his real name is Fontana. He grew up in the Paris suburbs, marked by a pronounced taste for drawing.
  2. ^ "Olivier Megaton – Biographie". Toutlecine.com. Hi-Pi / L’Odyssée Interactive. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
  3. ^ "Olivier Megaton – Biographie détaillée". AlloCiné. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
  4. ^ "Olivier Megaton halts at Eicar". News. EICAR. 2 April 2009. Archived from the original on 8 August 2010. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
  5. ^ a b Rege, Philippe (2010). Encyclopedia of French Film Directors, Volume 1. Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow Press, Inc. p. 696. ISBN 9780810861374.
  6. ^ "Interview of Olivier Megaton : know better the director". www.oliviermegaton.com. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  7. ^ Bebealien (30 September 2009). "Interview Olivier Megaton – La grosse interview". Bebealien's world – Le blog qui aime le cinéma. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
  8. ^ Holtreman, Vic (19 August 2010). "Exclusive: Olivier Megaton Says Sequel to 'The Professional' Unlikely". Screen Rant. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
  9. ^ "Olivier Megaton". IMDb. Retrieved 7 August 2018.

External links[edit]

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