Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire (born 31 December 1968) is a French filmmaker, producer and screenwriter. He is best known as the director of films Johnny Mad Dog, A Prayer Before Dawn and Asphalt City. Sauvaire was born on 31 December 1968 in Paris, France. He currently lives in New York City. In 1991, Sauvaire started his film career as a first assistant director of the film Les Nuits Fauves by Cyril Collard. Then he joined the crew for the films Les Demons de Jesus and Les Grandes Bouches, directed by Bernie Bonvoisin; I Stand Alone directed by Gaspar Noé; Sous Les Pieds Des Femmes, directed by Rachida Krim; Hors Jeu, directed by Karim Dridi; Louise (Take 2), directed by Siegfried; and Love Me, directed by Laetitia Masson. He continued to work as an assistant director until 2000. At the end of 2000, he directed his three short films, La Mule (co-directed with Rossy De Palma), A Dios, and Matalo. In all three, he used the theme of violence among adolescents. In 2008, he made the film Johnny Mad Dog, co-produced with Mathieu Kassovitz. The film was later presented in the Official Selection, 'Un Certain Regard' section at the Cannes Film Festival, and won the Prix de l'Espoir. The film was an adaptation of the novel Johnny Chien Méchant by Congolese writer Emmanuel Dongala. It tells the story of a group of child soldiers fighting for the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) rebels in 2003, during the latter part of the Second Liberian Civil War. After the success of the film, Sauvaire directed the telefilm Punk in 2012, which was co-produced by Arte, with Paul Bartel and Béatrice Dalle. In 2017, he made the film A Prayer Before Dawn, which was adapted from the story of Billy Moore. The film received an official selection at the 70th Cannes Film Festival in 2017. In 2023, Sauvaire directed Black Flies, an adaptation of the eponymous novel by Shannon Burke, with Sean Penn and Tye Sheridan. The film was selected in competition at the 76th Cannes Film Festival in 2023. Source: Article "Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.
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Biography from TMDB.
- December 31, 1968 (57)
- Paris, France
- Director and producer
- 6 on MovieCove · 25 credits in all
Known for
Where can I watch Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 6 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
25 credits, 6 with a MovieCove page.
Asphalt City(2023)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
A Prayer Before Dawn(2017)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
Bizarre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Welcome to New York(2014)
Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films
Punk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Heat Wave (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Johnny Mad Dog (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Kill Him (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Carlitos Medellin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Pourquoi (pas) le Brésil(2004)
Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films
A Dios (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
The Mule (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Love Me(2000)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
Les Grandes Bouches (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Louise (Take 2) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Foul Play (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Sous les pieds des femmes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Echec au capital (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Les Démons de Jésus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
L'embellie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Éclats de famille (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Everyone Is Perfect (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
The Tenors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Savage Nights(1992)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all filmsAddicted to Violence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
Awards
1 major award from 3 major nominations, 2008–2023.
- Cannes award, nominated
- Cannes award, won
- Cannes award, nominated
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.