French New Wave Motor, Director Jean-Luc Godard Dies

Jean-Luc Godard (Twitter @letterboxd)

JAKARTA - Director Jean-Luc Godard passed away today, Tuesday, September 13, French time. This news was confirmed by local newspaper Liberation to Deadline.

The cause of his death of director Jean-Luc Godard is not yet known.

Godard was one of the movers of the French New Wave that changed French cinema. His films are full of political messages and social issues.

Breathless in 1960 is one of the film titles that made his name popular in cinema. Then continued with The Little Soldier, The Week End, and others.

Jean-Luc Godard was born in Paris in 1930. He started his career as a member of the film club where he wrote for film magazines.

Godard was also briefly married to actress Anna Karina, a French New Wave figure who died in 2019. They were married for five years starting in 1961.

The two collaborated a lot for several films such as Vivre sa vie, Bande part (1964) and Pierrot le Fou (1965).

The last film he made was The Image Book in 2018. Like his other works, this film examines the history of cinema in the middle of the 20th and 21st centuries. The film also won the Palme d'Or at Cannes.

In 2019, his artwork was exhibited at the Fondazione Prada in Milan. After that, he has not released any new films or artwork to the public.

During his career, Jean-Luc Godard received various European film awards but he has never been nominated for an Academy Award. The Oscars had given him an honorary award but he was not present.

This news is certainly sad for filmmakers as well as the public. Former French Minister of Culture, Jack Lang, stated that Godard was a unique figure.

"He's not just cinematic, he's philosophical, beautiful," said Jack Lang.

Jean-Luc Godard has died at the age of 91.