Alexandre Auguste Astruc (13 July 1923 – 19 May 2016) was a French film critic and film director. Before becoming a film director he was a journalist, novelist and film critic. His contribution to the auteur theory centers on his notion of the caméra-stylo or "camera-pen" and the idea that directors should wield their cameras like writers use their pens. In 1994 he was awarded the René Clair Award for his whole body of film work.