Alexandre Aja

Birth Name: Alexandre Jouan-Arcady

Place of Birth: Paris, France

Date of Birth: 7 August, 1978

Ethnicity:
*father – Romanian-Sephardi Jewish
*mother – possibly French

Alexandre Aja is a French director, writer, producer, and actor. Known for his work in the horror genre, he has directed the films Furia (1999), Haute tension/High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes (2006), Mirrors (2008), Piranha 3D (2010), Horns (2013), The 9th Life of Louis Drax, Crawl (2019), Oxygen (2021), and Never Let Go (2024). He also co-wrote his Furia, Haute tension, The Hills Have Eyes, and Mirrors, and the films Entre chiens et loups, P2, and Maniac (2012); all of them with Grégory Levasseur, with whom he has frequently collaborated.

Alexandre is the son of cinema critic Marie-Jo Jouan and actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter Alexandre Arcady. His father was born in Algiers, Algeria, and moved to France at the age of fifteen. His stepmother is director, producer, filmmaker, and actress Diane Kurys. His paternal half-brother is novelist and screenwriter Sacha Sperling, who is his father’s son with Diane.

Alexandre is married to Moroccan filmmaker Laïla Marrakchi.

Alexandre’s paternal grandfather was named Alexandre Egry/Arcady. Alexandre’s grandfather Alexandre was born in Arad, Romania.

Alexandre’s paternal grandmother was Driffa Hadjedj (the daughter of Tobba Hadjedj and Lisa Messaouda Hadjedj). Driffa was born in Bordj-Bou-Arreridj, Algeria. Tobba was the son of Israel Hadjedj and Imouna Hadjedj.

Sources: Genealogy of Alexandre Aja (focusing on his father’s side) – https://www.geni.com

Genealogy of Alexandre’s paternal grandmother, Driffa Hadjedj (focusing on her father’s side) – https://gw.geneanet.org