Alice Winocour says Couture lead blends her and Angelina Jolie

Director Alice Winocour has described the lead character of her new movie Couture as "the meeting of" her and Angelina Jolie.

The French filmmaker's latest movie follows three women - a director, a model and a make-up artist - during Paris Fashion Week.

Jolie plays American director Maxine Walker, who receives a breast cancer diagnosis while in Paris making a short film for a catwalk presentation.

During an interview with Cover Media, Winocour shared that all three of her characters are autobiographical, but Maxine was a special blend of herself and her leading lady.

"The character of Maxine Walker is really the meeting of Angelina and I, as she also shares a lot of..." she began, before trailing off. "I mean, it's inspired by my story with cancer. But of course, it's very close also (for) Angelina, who didn't have a cancer, but who underwent a double mastectomy. But she's also, in real life, a director, and she also has children, so it's not her or me, it's us."

The Tomb Raider star underwent a preventative double mastectomy in 2013 after learning that she had a high risk of developing breast cancer due to the defective BRCA1 gene. Her mother, actress Marcheline Bertrand, died of breast and ovarian cancer at the age of 56 in 2007.

When asked if Jolie accepted the role due to its personal resonance with her family's health history, Winocour replied, "I wouldn't like to talk for her, but I think what was interesting for her was to show a character that is going through cancer, but that is still a woman, it's not just a matter of cancer."

"I think when films talk about cancer, it's like a subject in itself, but in reality, when you go through cancer, life goes on around you and you have other problems than cancer," she explained. "I really (think) the society has to change the perspective of people who are dealing with those issues... You have to struggle with this in your body, but still, I mean, you are more than that."

The Proxima director also praised Jolie, 50, for taking French lessons to prepare for the role, as Maxine speaks the language in many scenes.

"I think it was a lot of work because she didn't know one word of French, and it's difficult to shoot in a language you don't know," she added.

Couture, also starring Ella Rumpf and Anyier Anei, is available in the U.K. on Digital HD from Monday 20 April.