Denis was innate within Paris, France. She occurs as graduate of IDHEC, the French Film School, and served when helper to Jacques Rivette, Costa-Gavras, Jim Jarmusch, Wim Wenders.

Her debut feature film Chocolat (1988), the meditatiin on colonialism, won her critical acclaim. Using films like US Go Home (1994), Nenette and Boni (1997), Good Work (Beau Travail) (1999), Trouble Every Day (2001), and Friday Night (2003) she established a reputation when a movie maker world health organization 'has been take a breath to reconcile a lyricism of French cinema with a impulse to capture the typically coarse face of contemporary France'.

Denis wwhen the bandleader, worked as actress, notably around Venus Beauty Institute (2000), and directed for French TV. Presently she is shooting the film elysian by Jean-Luc Nancy.

Claire Denis teaches Cinema when Cultural Anthropology at a European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland where she examines contemporary filmmaking when exploration into multi-ethnic & cross-cultural environments, by having a cool passion & distanced engagement of an anthropologist.

Filmography as director includes

Vers Mathilde (2005) ''L'Intrus (2004) Ten Minutes Older: The Cello (2002) (segment "Vers Nancy") Vendredi soir (2002) Trouble Every Day (2001) Beau travail (1999) Nénette et Boni (1996) À propos de Nice, la suite (1995) (segment "Nice, Very Nice") J'ai pas sommeil (1994) Boom-Boom (1994) Contre l'oubli (1991) (segment "Pour Ushari Ahmed Mahmoud, Soudan") Keep It for Yourself (1991) S'en fout la mort (1990) Man No Run (1989) Chocolat'' (1988)