Romain Gavras is a French-Greek filmmaker and music video director. He is best known for his work with the French electronic duo Justice, as well as his collaborations with artists such as M.I.A., Kanye West, and Jay-Z.
Gavras was born in Paris, France in 1975 to Greek parents. He studied at the prestigious École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris before moving to London to pursue a career in filmmaking. His first major project was directing the music video for Justice's hit single "D.A.N.C.E." in 2007, which earned him an MTV Video Music Award for Best Video of the Year and a Grammy nomination for Best Short Form Music Video.
Since then, Gavras has gone on to direct numerous music videos and commercials for some of the biggest names in the industry, including M.I.A.'s "Bad Girls", Kanye West's "No Church In The Wild", and Jay-Z's "Picasso Baby". He has also directed several feature films, including Our Day Will Come (2010), The World Is Yours (2018), and most recently Les Misérables (2019).
Gavras' work has been praised by critics for its unique visual style and bold storytelling techniques, earning him numerous awards and nominations throughout his career including two César Awards for Best Short Film (for Our Day Will Come) and Best Director (for Les Misérables). He continues to be one of the most sought-after directors in the industry today, with his work being featured at film festivals around the world.