Christophe Barratier

Born: France

The former musician enchanted legions of cinema-goers with his bittersweet Oscar-nominated story of a choir for problem boys, The Chorus.

He and songwriter Bruno Coulais were nominated for an Academy Award for the song Look To Your Path in the 2004 movie.

The son of actors, Barratier started studying music at the age of seven and went on to sing soprano in a choir as well as study at the Paris Conservatoire.

After working on soundtracks, he made his film debut with the 1996 insect documentary Microcosmos: Le peuple de l'herbe and went on to work on the acclaimed Winged Migration in 2001.

The following year he made his directorial debut with the short Les Tombales with Lambert Wilson and Carole Weiss.

In 2004, influenced by the British social comedies Brassed Off and Billy Eliot, he made his feature debut The Chorus, which was a bigger success in France than Lord of the Rings.