LAST UPDATE | 13 Sep 2022

PIONEERING DIRECTOR JEAN Luc Godard  has died aged 91, French newspaper Libération reported.

The French director is one of cinema’s most iconic figures, having played an important role in the emergence of the influential and groundbreaking French New Wave film movement in the 1960s.

He died “peacefully at home” today, his family said.

“No official (funeral) ceremony will take place,” they said. “He will be cremated… And it really must happen in private.”

The secrecy – and choosing to disappear in a puff of smoke – is typical of Godard, who loved to surprise the world from his lair in the Swiss village of Rolle where he had lived as a virtual recluse for decades.

It was there that he died “peacefully at home”, his wife Anne-Marie Mieville at his side, his producers said.

One of French cinema’s most enduring names, he began his career as a critic, writing for Cahiers du Cinéma, where he was able to expound on his vision for filmmaking.

That led to he and other critics entering the world of filmmaking themselves, which in turn led to the French New Wave.

Their approach challenged conventional, Hollywood-style filmmaking techniques and revolutionised the world of film.

Influenced by their personal and political viewpoints, their work has inspired countless filmmakers working today.

Godard’s first film, Breathless (1960), is considered one of the best films ever made. His other acclaimed works from his early period include Bande a Part (1964) and Pierrot le Fou (1965).

His peers included Éric Rohmer, Agnes Varda, Jacques Demy and Jacques Rozier. Godard referenced political events in many of his films, such as the Algerian War of Independence and the Vietnam War.

He continued to make movies throughout his life, evolving his approach throughout the decades.

His final film was 2018’s The Image Book, which was about the history of film and how it dealt – or didn’t deal – with events like the Holocaust.

With reporting from Aoife Barry and AFP