Jean-Charles Tacchella, a French screenwriter and film director, was born on September 23, 1925. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his film Cousin Cousine in 1975, which was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and was later remade in the US as Cousins in 1989.
Tacchella studied in Marseilles and moved to Paris after the Liberation to pursue a career in filmmaking. He joined L'écran Français at the age of 19, where he worked with renowned filmmakers such as Renoir, Becker, and Grémillon. During his time at the magazine, he wrote about filmmakers, actors, and films, and met influential figures in the film industry, including André Bazin, Nino Frank, Roger Leenhardt, Roger Thérond, and Alexandre Astruc.
Tacchella became friends with notable figures such as Erich Von Stroheim, Anna Magnani, and Vittorio de Sica, and co-created the monthly "Ciné Digest" with Henri Colpi. In 1948, he, along with Bazin, Jacques Doniol-Valcroze, Astruc, Claude Mauriac, René Clément, and Pierre Kast, established Objectif 49, an avant-garde film club that became the birthplace of the French New Wave.
Throughout his career, Tacchella has directed 11 features, many of which have received international acclaim and prestigious awards. Some of his notable works include Voyage to Grand Tartarie, Cousin Cousine, Le Pays bleu, It's a Long Time I've Loved You, Croque la vie, Staircase C, Travelling avant, Gallant Ladies, The Man of My Life, and Seven Sundays.
Tacchella's work is described as being "smooth and precise," with his camera work being fluid and precise. His film Travelling avant is a semi-autobiographical tribute to his youth as a cinema enthusiast in post-war Paris.
In addition to his work in filmmaking, Tacchella served as the President of the Cinémathèque Française from 2000 to 2003.
