Zarifian, Christian

(September 24, 1942, Grenoble, Isère, France - )

   Born of an Armenian father and a French mother, he was seventeen years old when his parents settled in Brazil, the country where he shot his first Super-8 shorts with his friends. In 1964, after working as an assistant to a production company, he came back to France and did his military service in the French army's Cinematographic Service. Determined to become a filmmaker, he enrolled in a private film school and earned a diploma. In 1968, he trained for a time at the Maison de la Culture du Havre before being hired at the cinema department managed by Vincent Pinel. He soon began producing and directing documentaries.

 Filmography

1969 ◘ On voit bien qu'c'est pas toi (medium-length; also producer)

        ◘ L'Entrée d'un Navire dans le Port du Havre (documentary; short; co-director with Vincent Pinel; also producer, co-editor)

1970 ◘ A suivre (documentary; also producer)

1973 ◘ Moi j'dis qu'c'est bien (also producer)

1976 ◘ Gros Plan (documentary; co-director with Vincent Pinel)

1978 ◘ Vues d'ici (co-director with Vincent Pinel; also screenwriter, producer, editor)

1982 ◘ La Barrière blanche (also producer)

1984 ◘ Le Havre—Visiteurs (Lutte sénégalaise) (documentary; short; co-director with Jean-Luc L'Huillier; also producer, editor)

        ◘ Docteur Amadou et Mister Sy (documentary; short; also producer)

1988 ◘ Table rase (documentary; also co-producer, editor)

1988 ◘ Marat mort (documentary; also producer)

1991 ◘ Les Montagnes parlantes (documentary; short; co-director with Jean-Christophe Lefores-tier; also producer, editor)

1994 ◘ Les Romantiques (also co-screenwriter, producer)

1997 ◘ Le Misanthrope (also co-adapter, producer)

2000 ◘ Allers / Retours (documentary; short; also co-producer)