Alexandre Aja facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alexandre Aja
Aja in 2015
Born	Alexandre Jouan-Arcady (1978-08-07) 7 August 1978 (age 46) Paris, France
Occupation	Film director film producer screenwriter
Years active	1997–present
Notable work	Haute Tension, The Hills Have Eyes, Mirrors, Piranha 3D, Oxygen
Parent(s)	Alexandre Arcady (father)
Relatives	Diane Kurys (stepmother) Sacha Sperling (half-brother)

Alexandre Jouan-Arcady, known professionally as Alexandre Aja, was born on August 7, 1978, in Paris, France. He is a French filmmaker famous for directing scary movies, also known as horror films. He became well-known around the world for his 2003 horror movie Haute Tension. This film was called High Tension in the US and Switchblade Romance in the UK. He has also directed other popular films like The Hills Have Eyes (2006), Mirrors (2008), Piranha 3D (2010), Horns (2013), and Crawl (2019).

About Alexandre Aja

His Early Life

Alexandre Aja was born in Paris, France. His father, Alexandre Arcady, is a French director. His mother, Marie-Jo Jouan, was a French movie critic. Aja's last name, "Aja," is a special nickname. It comes from the first letter of each part of his full real name: Alexandre Jouan-Arcady.

Starting in Movies

When he was very young, Aja acted in small roles in his father's movies. He made his first movie as a director when he was just eighteen years old. It was a short film called Over the Rainbow. This film was even nominated for an award at the famous Cannes Film Festival.

In 1999, he directed a film called Furia. This movie was based on a short story by a writer named Julio Cortázar. From this movie onwards, Aja often worked with Grégory Levasseur. Levasseur helped write many of Aja's films, including The Hills Have Eyes, Mirrors, P2, and Piranha 3D. Levasseur also helped design the sets for these movies.

Alexandre Aja's Films

Aja in January 2011

Making High Tension

Alexandre Aja directed Haute Tension, which came out in France in 2003 and in the US in 2005. This movie really put Aja on the map as a director of horror movies. The film is a French slasher movie that uses a lot of scary makeup effects instead of computer effects. It quickly became popular with horror fans. The movie won awards for Best Direction and Best Fantasy Film at the Sitges Film Festival.

Remaking Classic Horror Movies

After seeing High Tension, the famous American director Wes Craven asked Aja to help create a new version of his 1977 film, The Hills Have Eyes. Craven then asked Aja to direct the movie himself. The new version of The Hills Have Eyes was released in 2006.

Aja's next project was another horror film called Mirrors. This movie is about a mysterious mirror that makes people see the worst parts of themselves. It was a remake of a Korean horror film called Into the Mirror.

Aja also directed Piranha 3D, a horror movie about ancient piranhas in Arizona. This film was a remake of the 1978 movie Piranha.

Other Noted Works

In 2004, Variety magazine named Aja as one of the "Ten Directors to Watch." He is part of a group of directors called the "Splat Pack." This name was given to directors who make very intense and violent horror films. Other members of this group include Darren Lynn Bousman, Neil Marshall, Greg McLean, Eli Roth, James Wan, Leigh Whannell, and Rob Zombie.

Aja also produced a new version of the 1980 horror movie Maniac in 2012. This film starred Elijah Wood. In 2013, Aja directed a dark fantasy thriller called Horns, which starred Daniel Radcliffe. He also produced the 2014 horror film The Pyramid.

In 2016, Aja produced and directed The 9th Life of Louis Drax, a psychological thriller based on a book. In 2019, Alexandre Aja directed Crawl. This movie became his highest-earning and best-reviewed film so far.

Aja is also planning to direct a live-action movie based on the Japanese comic series Space Adventure Cobra. He is also set to direct a film called Mice and Mystics for Dreamworks Animation.

Filmography

Other credits

See also

In Spanish: Alexandre Aja para niños

• Furia (album)