Born in 1925 in Auvergne, Maurice Pialat discovered cinema as a child in the Paris suburbs. He was a passionate painter and theatre actor, and by the 60s began making short films and documentaries, as well as working as an assistant director and editor for cinema and TV. His first of 10 features was 1969's L'enfance nue (Naked Childhood). Sous le Soleil de Satan won the 1987 Palme d'or. He worked with actors like Isabelle Huppert, Gérard Depardieu, Sophie Marceau and Sandrine Bonnaire, exploring the themes of turmoil in the childhood, the family and the couple. He died on January 11, 2003 at the age of 77.