He studied design and fine arts, organised several exhibitions. At the end of the fifties he dedicates himself to film. He is very focused on the work with the actors and it is said that he can get truly artistic performances out of amateurs. His movie Sous le soleil de Satan (with Gerard Depardieu and close collaborator Sandrine Bonnaire) was awarded the Palm d’or in Cannes. He
often improvised in his work, even from his first long documentary.