Fontana was born in Paris, 20 years to the day after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and his choice of the artistic name Megaton was influenced by this. He grew up in a Paris banlieue, and after qualifying for a diploma in psychology, was active as a graphic artist and also adept in graffiti art. After meeting music video director Jean-Baptiste Mondino, he started working in films.[1][2][3][4] Fontana first started making shorts and video clips before finally directing feature films.[5]
Fontana has directed Exit, The Red Siren, Transporter 3, Taken 2 and Taken 3.[7] He was chosen to direct Mathilda, the sequel to Léon, but expressed the opinion that the film was unlikely to be made.[8] He also served as a second unit director for the film Hitman. His trademark technique in film directing involves intentionally disorienting camerawork and editing.[9]
Aside from filmmaking, Fontana is also a published author after his novel, entitled Le Facteur humain ("The Human Factor"), was released in 1998.[5] In 2021, Fontana returned to film production to release a Netflix documentary entitled "Monsters Inside: The 24 Faces of Billy Milligan", the documentary received criticism shortly after release for its stigmatism regarding dissociative identity disorder.
^ ab"Olivier Megaton". Biographies et Filmographies. CinémaPassion. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2010. Olivier Megaton est né le 6 août 1965, soit vingt ans jour pour jour après la première explosion nucléaire à Hiroshima. D'où son pseudonyme ... alors que son vrai nom est Fontana. Son enfance se déroule en banlieue parisienne, marquée par un goût prononcé pour le dessin. / Olivier Megaton was born August 6, 1965, twenty years to the day after the first nuclear explosion in Hiroshima. Hence his nickname ... while his real name is Fontana. He grew up in the Paris suburbs, marked by a pronounced taste for drawing.
