Michel Ferry began his film career as a trainee propman. He then made a brief incursion into stage acting in a play by Robert Hossein. In 1982, he did his initial training in film direction with Eric Rohmer on ''Pauline at the Beach,'' continuing with Richard Fleisher on ''Kalidor,'' Lewis Teague on ''The Diamond of the Nile'' and finally on Prince's ''Under the Cherry Moon." He then worked as second assistant director on Gérard Oury's ''Lévy and Goliath,'' Roman Polanski's ''Frantic,'' ''Le Complot'' by Agnieszka Holland and ''A Dry White Season'' by Euzhan Palcy. Louis Malle took him on as first assistant director on ''Milou in May'' (aka "May Fools") and ''Fatale" (aka "Damage"). He went on to work in a similar capacity on several other films, and between film shoots directed his own first shorts. He wrote several screenplays before making ''Hantises'' in 1996.