Jean-Marie and Arnaud Larrieu were born in the Hautes-Pyrénées. They discover both the cinema and the mountain through his grand-father. After philosophy studies, they direct numerous short and medium-length films among which La Brèche de Roland starring Mathieu Amalric (Quinzaine des Réalisateurs, Cannes 2000)
Then comes A Man, a Real One (2003) and To Paint of Make Love starring Daniel Auteuil and Sabine Azema, selected in the Official Competition in Cannes in 2005, and Le Voyage aux Pyrénées (Quinzaine des Réalisateurs, Cannes 2008), Happy End, based on the novel by Dominique Noguez, Love Is the Perfect Crime, based on the novel by Philippe Dijian, in which they are reunited with Mathieu Amalric. 21 Nights with Pattie starring Isabelle Carré, Karin Viard and André Dussollier won the Best Screenplay Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival in 2015.