French filmmaker André Téchiné was BOTD in 1943. Born at Valence-de’Agen in the Pyrenees, he moved to Paris at 19 to become a filmmaker. After failing the entrance exam for film school, he began writing reviews for the film magazine Cahiers du cinéma in 1964. After working in theatre and as an assistant to filmmaker Jacques Rivette, he directed his first film Paulina s’en va (Paulina Is Leaving) in 1969. He rose to prominence with Souvenirs d’en France, Barocco and Hotel des Amériques, starting a long collaboration with Catherine Deneuve. His 1985 film Rendez-vous became a critical and commercial hit, winning him the Best Director Award at Cannes and launching the career of Juliette Binoche. He had similar success with Ma saison préférée (My Favourite Season), starring Deneuve and Daniel Auteuil as middle-aged siblings caring for their ailing mother. His 1990s films Les innocents and Je N’Embrasse Pas (I Don’t Kiss) featured gay and bisexual characters on the margins of society, and were among the first French films to acknowledge the HIV/AIDS pandemic. He is best known for his 1994 film Les roseaux sauvages (Wild Reeds), a lyrical coming-of-age story about a teenage boy discovering his homosexuality. His 2014 film L’Homme qu’on aimait trop starred Deneuve and lesbian actress Adèle Haenel, followed by Quand on a 17 ans (Being 17) co-written by Céline Sciamma, portraying a romance between two teenage boys. Openly but discreetly gay, Téchiné finally acknowledged his homosexuality in the 2019 TV documentary André Téchiné, cinéaste insoumis. In 2024, the actor Francis Renaud filed a complaint against Téchiné for sexual harassment, accusing the director of caressing his hand during a lunch meeting. Téchiné released a statement describing his actions as “clumsy” but denied any sexual or predatory motivation. A magistrate later concluded that Téchiné’s alleged actions failed to qualify as sexual harassment, and in any event were time-barred from prosecution.