Known for Writing
Luc Besson (born March 18, 1959) is a French director, writer, and producer, known for making highly visual thriller and action films. Besson has received numerous awards and honors, and is often credited as inventing the so-called "Cinema du look" movement in French film. He is best known for directing the action films Léon: The Professional (1994), The Fifth Element (1997), and Lucy (2014), and also produced the Taken (2008–2014) and Transporter (2002–2015) franchises. Born in Paris, Besson spent his childhood traveling Europe with his parents and developing an enthusiasm for ocean diving, before an accident would push him toward the world of cinema. After taking odd jobs in the Parisian film scene of the time, Besson began writing stories that would eventually evolve into some of his greatest film successes: The Fifth Element and Le Grand Bleu. In 1980 he founded his own production company, Les Films du Loup later Les Films du Dauphin, and later still EuropaCorp film company with his longtime collaborator, Pierre-Ange Le Poga.
Born
March 18, 1959 (age 67)
Birthplace
Paris, France
Filmography
206 films, 16 shows


Dracula
2025 · 2h 10m · FR
In late 15th-century Eastern Europe, Prince Vlad II’s bride is brutally murdered. As a result, he renounces God and damns Heaven itself. Cursed with eternal life, Vlad is reborn as Dracula, an immortal warlord who defies fate in a blood-soaked crusade to wrench his lost love back from death.


June and John
2025 · 1h 29m · FR
John leads an ordinary life with a monotonous routine. One day John runs into a woman on the subway who is as beautiful as she is mysterious named June. His encounter with her finally leads him to have a goal in his bumptious life.


Dogman
2023 · 1h 55m · FR
A boy, bruised by life, finds his salvation through the love of his dogs.


Anna
2019 · 1h 59m · FR
Beneath Anna Poliatova's striking beauty lies a secret that will unleash her indelible strength and skill to become one of the world's most feared government assassins.


Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
2017 · 2h 17m · FR
In the 28th century, Valerian and Laureline are special operatives charged with keeping order throughout the human territories. On assignment from the Minister of Defense, the two undertake a mission to Alpha, an ever-expanding metropolis where species from across the universe have converged over centuries to share knowledge, intelligence, and cultures. At the center of Alpha is a mysterious dark force which threatens the peaceful existence of the City of a Thousand Planets, and Valerian and Laureline must race to identify the menace and safeguard not just Alpha, but the future of the universe.


Lucy
2014 · 1h 29m · FR
A woman, accidentally caught in a dark deal, turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic.


The Family
2013 · 1h 51m · FR
After ratting out his Mafia cohorts, Giovanni Manzoni and his family enter the Witness Protection Program and relocate to a sleepy town in France. Despite the best efforts of their handler to keep them in line, Giovanni (now called Fred Blake), his wife and children can't help but resort to doing things the "family" way. However, their dependence on such old habits places everyone in danger from vengeful mobsters.


The Lady
2011 · 2h 12m · FR
The story of Aung San Suu Kyi as she becomes the core of Burma's democracy movement, and her relationship with her husband, writer Michael Aris.


Arthur 3: The War of the Two Worlds
2010 · 1h 41m · FR
With Maltazard now seven feet tall and Arthur still two inches small, our hero must find a way to grow back to his normal size and stop the Evil M once and for all, with the help of Selenia and Betameche.


The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec
2010 · 1h 47m · FR
An adventure set in the early part of the 20th century, focused on a popular novelist and her dealings with would-be suitors, the cops, monsters, and other distractions.


Arthur, the 4D Adventure
2009 · 5m · FR
Fly a ladybug on a 4D adventure into the world of Arthur and the Minimoys. Nature will never seem the same again.


Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard
2009 · 1h 33m · FR
Arthur answers a distress call from Princess Selenia, who is menaced by the nefarious Maltazard.


Arthur and the Invisibles
2006 · 1h 34m · FR
Ten-year-old Arthur, in a bid to save his grandfather's house from being demolished, goes looking for some much-fabled hidden treasure in the land of the Minimoys, tiny people living in harmony with nature.


Angel-A
2005 · 1h 31m · FR
A beautiful and mysterious woman helps an inept scam artist get his game together... but is their meeting purely coincidence?


Le court des grands
2005 · 3h 23m · FR
A program of debut shorts from some of cinema's greatest diectors. Curated by Emir Kusturica and Stephen Frears, featured auteurs include George Lucas' "1.42.08 to Qualify" (1966), Ridley Scott's "A Boy and a Bicycle" (1965), Robert Zemeckis' "The Lift" (1972), Tony Scott's "One of the Missing" (1969), Kusturica's "Guernica" (1978), Luc Besson's "L'avant dernier" (1981), Lars von Trier's "Nocturne" (1980), Terry Gilliam's "Storytime" (1968), Paul Verhoeven's "A Lizzard Too Much" (1960), Roman Polanski's "Le gros et le maigre" (1960), Jane Campion's "Peel" (1982), and Frears' "The Burning" (1967).


Mylene Farmer: Music Videos II & III
2001 · 2h 10m · FR
Includes videos of Mylène Farmer made by Laurent Boutonnat, Luc Besson, Abel Ferrara and Marcus Nispel.


The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
1999 · 2h 38m · FR
In 1429, a French teenager stood before her King with a message she claimed came from God; that she would defeat the world's greatest army and liberate her country from its political and religious turmoil. As she reclaims God's diminished kingdom, this courageous young woman has various amazing victories until her violent and untimely death.


The Fifth Element
1997 · 2h 6m · FR
In 2257, a taxi driver is unintentionally given the task of saving a young girl who is part of the key that will ensure the survival of humanity.


Léon: The Professional
1994 · 1h 51m · FR
Léon, the top hit man in New York, has earned a rep as an effective "cleaner". But when his next-door neighbors are wiped out by a loose-cannon DEA agent, he becomes the unwilling custodian of 12-year-old Mathilda. Before long, Mathilda's thoughts turn to revenge, and she considers following in Léon's footsteps.


Atlantis
1991 · 1h 14m · FR
Atlantis is filmmaker Luc Besson's celebration of the beauty and wonder of the world beneath the sea, expanding upon themes touched on in his film The Big Blue. Combining stunning underwater cinematography and a hypnotic score by Eric Serra, Besson's singular vision defies dialogue or narrative structure to explore ocean life as you've never seen it before. Following the colossal success of The Big Blue, Luc Besson crisscrossed the world's seas and oceans to film the beauty and diversity of marine life: from the giant octopuses of Vancouver to the manta rays of the Pacific (New Caledonia), and the grey sharks of Tahiti. A film with no actors or sets other than the underwater world. A breathtaking view of marine species: sharks, dolphins, manatees, octopuses. An exploration of the seabed in the Bahamas, the Galapagos, Vancouver, and Tahiti.


Nikita
1990 · 1h 57m · FR
A beautiful felon, sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a policeman, is given a second chance – as a secret political assassin controlled by the government.


The Big Blue
1988 · 2h 48m · FR
Childhood friends Jacques and Enzo share a passion for the danger of free diving. Jacques, following in the footsteps of his father, who died at sea when Jacques was a boy, harbors a remarkable ability to adjust his heart rate and breathing patterns in the water, with his vital signs more closely resembling those of dolphins than men.


Subway
1985 · 1h 44m · FR
Fred, a raffish safe blower, takes refuge in the Paris Metro after being chased by the henchmen of a shady businessman from whom he has just stolen some documents. While hiding out in the back rooms and conduits of the Metro, Fred encounters a subterranean society of eccentric characters and petty criminals.


Isabelle Adjani: Pull Marine
1983 · 4m
The music video for the 1983 French pop hit, Pull Marine. Composed and written by Serge Gainsbourg.


The Last Battle
1983 · 1h 30m · FR
The plot explores the devastation of civilization and issues of brutality, hostility and isolation. Pierre Jolivet stars as the main character (identified only as "The Man" in the end credits) who is menaced by "The Brute" (played by Jean Reno) on his journey through a world filled by people rendered nearly mute by some unknown incident.


The Penultimate
1981 · 12m · FR
A man wanders through a wrecked, dystopian city, finding violence everywhere he turns.