Pialat, who was once described as the true heir to Jean Renoir, died in Paris after suffering from high blood pressure and kidney problems.

Pialat is dead and we are all orphaned Gilles Jacob, Cannes president

Pialat directed 11 films in a career stretching over four decades and won the Palme d'Or in Cannes in 1987 for his controversial film Under Satan's Sun.

Mr Chirac said: "Through his powerful, exacting and unique works, Maurice Pialat explored with intransigence and sensitivity the shadows and lights of the human soul."

Pialat was greeted with boos when Under Satan's Sun, a provocative tale about a monk's encounter with the devil, won the Palme d'Or.

In his acceptance speech, Pialat retorted: "Above all I'm happy about the boos and the whistling. If you don't like me, I can tell you I don't like you either."

'Exquisite' Pialat started his career as a painter, but spent the 1960s making short films and television programmes, missing out on the New Wave of French cinema spearheaded by directors like Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut.

Gilles Jacob, president of the Cannes festival, said on Saturday that Pialat "was difficult at times but also capable of exquisite politeness when he wanted."

"Pialat is dead and we are all orphaned.

"French cinema is orphaned."