Rouan was born into a French naval family in Toulon in 1946. She was orphaned at age six and spent her childhood in Algeria and Senegal. At age 12, she left for convent school in Paris.
Her acting career began at age 21, on the stage. Her performance lead the way to small film roles for directors including Alain Resnais, Jacques Rivette, and Bertrand Tavernier.
Rouan became a director in her own right when she helmed a short film titled Grosse. It won a César Award in 1986. She would become a feature film director with Overseas (1990), which won the Critics' Week award at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival. She co-starred in the film with Marianne Basler and Nicole Garcia to portray sisters in colonial North Africa during the 1950s.

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