Movies on the blog: Alyson Stoner: Amira Casar

Amira Casar (born 1 May 1971) is a French actress who grew up in England, Ireland, and France. She has appeared in more than 50 films since 1989.

Early life and personal life

Amira is daughter of a Kurdish father and a Russian opera singer. She was born in England and subsequently raised in England, Ireland and France. Amira Casar, studied drama at the Conservatoire National d'Art Dramatique de Paris. She is fluent in both English and French, has worked in German, Italian and Spanish and has an extraordinary ear for accents and dialects.

Career

Casar has worked in films and in the theatre internationally and on both sides of the Channel favouring strong independent projects.

Some of her film and Television work includes (selected filmography): La VÃ©ritÃ© si je mens 1 & 2 (Cesar nomination as Best Young Actress) in 1997 and 2000. In 2000 Comment J'ai TuÃ© Mon PÃ¨re by Anne Fontaine. Carlos Saura's Bunuel y la Messa Del Rei Salomon in 2001. David More's Forty for Channel 4 in 2002 and Filles Perdues Cheveux Gras (Cannes Film Festival Semaine de la Critique). Sylvia by Christine Jeffs with Gwyneth Paltrow and Daniel Craig in 2003. Catherine Breillat's avant-garde international release Anatomy of Hell (Toronto Film Festival) in 2004. In 2005, she appeared in The Larrieu Brothers's Peindre ou Faire l'Amour alongside Daniel Auteuil (Cannes Film Festival Official Selection) and The Quay Brothers's Piano Tuner of Earthquakes. Tony Gatlif's Transylvania (Cannes Film Festival Official Selection) in 2006.

In 2007, Casar collaborated with the artist Sophie Calle for her Venice Biennale Installation Prenez soin de vous and with director Laetitia Masson for the film Coupable. In 2008, with the German New Wave Director Werner Schroeter on his last film Nuit de Chien (Jury Prize Venice Film Festival).

She played the lead role in Eleonore Faucher's film Gamines in 2009. For her portrayal as Dora Maar, the surrealist artist and Picasso's muse in La Femme qui Pleure au Chapeau Rouge, she won the best actress award at La Rochelle Television Film Festival.

In 2011 and 2012, she appeared in four filmsÂ : The indie film Mikael Buch's Let my People Go, the French blockbuster series La VÃ©ritÃ© si je Mens ! 3, the English-speaking Playoff by Eran Riklis with Dany Huston. In 2013, she will appear in the adaptation of Kleist's "Mickael Kohlhaas by Arnaud Des PalliÃ¨res with Mads Mikkelsen and in Spiritism by Canadian director Guy Maddin.

On stage, her work includes Wallace Shawn's Aunt Dan and Lemon directed by Tom Cairns, Almeida Theatre, The title role in Hedda Gabler Petit ThÃ©atre de Paris, Olivier Py's 2009 production of Les Enfants de Saturne at the Theatre National de L'OdÃ©on, Paris. In 2011, she appeared in the title role of Petra in The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant by Fassbinder and performed to much critical acclaim in Arthur Honegger's Jeanne d'Arc au BÃ»cher at the Barbican Center with the London Symphony Orchestra.