Abdellatif Kechiche

Abdellatif Kechiche (عبد اللطيف كشيش, born 7 December 1960) is a Tunisian-French actor, film director and screenwriter. He made his directorial debut in 2000 with La Faute à Voltaire, which he also wrote. His film Blue Is the Warmest Colour won the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

Life and career
Born in Tunis, he moved with his parents to Nice at the age of six.

He directed Games of Love and Chance, known as L'esquive, which won a César Award for Best Film and Best Director. He presented The Secret of the Grain at the 64th Mostra del Cinema in Venice for which he was awarded the Special Jury Prize. The film also received the FIPRESCI Prize, the Louis Delluc Prize and the César Awards for Best Film and Best Director.

As an actor, his introduction to most English-speaking audiences was starring as Ashade the taxi driver in the 2005 psychological thriller Sorry, Haters, an "official selection" in both the Toronto International and American Film Institute's film festivals.

He was decorated by the government of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2005 and in 2008.

His 2013 film Blue Is the Warmest Colour won the Palme d'Or and the FIPRESCI Prize at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Several days later a controversy erupted about Kechiche's work methods; technicians on the film accused him of harassment, unpaid overtime and violations of labour laws. The two main actresses, Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos, who were also awarded the Palme d'Or, had complained about Kechiche's behaviour during the shooting but later, in an extensive interview, claimed that although he was difficult to work with it had been worth it, as he was a great filmmaker. The film also won Best International Independent Film at the British Independent Film Awards in 2013.

In October 2018, Kechiche was accused of sexual assault by an unnamed French actress. Kechiche is currently under investigation by the public prosecutor's office, and "categorically denies the accusations" in a statement released through his lawyer.