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Françoise Lebrun

Actor
Françoise Lebrun is one of the most distinctive voices in French auteur cinema and has established herself as a versatile actress over the decades. Her cinematic work is characterized by subtle intensity and a special presence that have made her a fixture in European film art. In BEING BLANCHE HOUELLEBECQ (2024, directed by Guillaume Nicloux), Lebrun plays a central role alongside Michel Houellebecq and Blanche Gardin. The film moves between reality and fiction and reflects on the relationship between art, identity, and public perception. Lebrun's performance lends emotional depth to the production and underscores her ability to set precise accents even in complex narrative structures. Françoise Lebrun celebrated her international breakthrough with the film The Mother and the Whore (1973, directed by Jean Eustache), which won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival and is still considered a milestone of the Nouvelle Vague. In this work, she shapes the role of Veronika with extraordinary emotional openness. Her other important works include The Nun (2013, directed by Guillaume Nicloux), Tomorrow at Dawn (2009, directed by Denis Dercourt), and At the Top of the Stairs (1983, directed by Paul Vecchiali). Françoise Lebrun is known for her long-standing collaboration with renowned directors such as Jean Eustache, Paul Vecchiali, and Guillaume Nicloux. Her filmography includes numerous arthouse productions that have been shown at international festivals and have earned her a reputation as an outstanding character actress. With BEING BLANCHE HOUELLEBECQ, she once again confirms her importance as an unmistakable voice of French cinema.

Films

The Girl Without Hands

The Girl Without Hands

By Sébastien Laudenbach

2016 | 72 min | Animation

Based on the fairy tale classic by the Brothers Grimm, a farmer is tricked by the devil and accidentally sells his daughter for a bit of gold.

The Dunce

The Dunce

By Paul Vecchiali

2016 | 117 min | Drama

Laurent is seeking a path in life after living his youth years in laziness. Moving in with his father again, their relationship is put to the test.

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Stained Skin

Stained Skin

2021 | 9 min | Shorts

In the underground halls of a dystopian textile factory, the rhythm of machines dictates the lives of Alba (Marisa Wojtkowiak) and Samy (Safinaz Sattar). Every day, they pull endless lengths of fabric through the deep blue of dye, the imprint of which is permanently imprinted on their skin. During her shift, Alba tells the story of the girl who lived at the bottom of the sea. Samy dives further and further into the story of the character Nanami, who wants to free herself from enslavement by the rulers ...

A Lost and Found Box of Human Sensation

A Lost and Found Box of Human Sensation

2010 | 14 min | Animation

A LOST AND FOUND BOX OF HUMAN SENSATION is an award-winning animation film about grief and loss by Stefan Leuchtenberg, based on a poem by Martin Wallner. "The audiovisual experience of A LOST AND FOUND BOX OF HUMAN SENSATION touches its audience deeply. No greater honour can be bestowed on a short film." (Europrix Multimedia Awards Jury) A young man's father dies because of pancreatic cancer and the boy has to cope with the loss. The film begins with the funeral and shows how feelings change ...

The Dreamed Ones

The Dreamed Ones

2016 | 89 min | Documentary

The correspondence between Ingeborg Bachmann and Paul Celan forms the basis of the text. The story begins in Vienna in 1948, when she is 22 and he 27, and ends with Celan's suicide in 1971 in Paris. Two young actors, Anja Plaschg and Laurence Rupp, meet in a recording studio to read from their correspondence. The dramatically fluctuating feelings of the letters - between intoxication and fear of loss, delight and horror, closeness and strangeness - are passed on to the actors.

The Sun Assassinated

The Sun Assassinated

2002 | 120 min | Biography

Jean Senac, a gay French poet and radio host, is a "pied-noir", a Frenchman born in Algeria. A decade after Algeria gained independence from France, Senac becomes an enemy of the authorities for his homosexuaual lifestyle and progressive ideas. He befriends young playwright Hamid (Mehdi Dehbi) after Hamid's play wins a national contest, but their friendship has tragic consequences.

Quitt

Quitt

2023 | Animation

A poacher in the snowy Alps, a murderer in the dusty expanse of the Wild West – Leo and Denny couldn't be more different, but their paths reflect universal conflicts. Against the backdrop of breathtaking landscapes and a world of plastic mannequins with ghostly lifelike features, a drama unfolds that is as surreal as it is captivating. The characters move between dance, prayer and violence, while song interludes lift the action into fantastic spheres and at the same time explore the abysses of human ...

The World We Live in

The World We Live in

2016 | 18 min | Animation

People on the move. Outside, a guardrail flies by in a blur. Drawn lines are superimposed on it. This film is about lines of life, lines that stretch from Eastern Europe to Germany. The filmmakers mix real images and animations superimposed on them, which repeatedly convey impressions of the emotional lives of the people portrayed. The drawings are also a protective cloak and a symbolic narrative device. On the soundtrack, the migrants talk about their existence in Germany. Often they are unemployed, ...

Final Consequence

Final Consequence

2021 | 24 min | Drama

Uwe has been rehearsing intensively with his amateur theater group for the play “Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.” But their PR stunt in the forest backfires and the newspaper reports on the return of the wolf; the citizens are on high alert. A campaign team is determined to seize the moment and use the issue of “security” to restore the weakened politician Friedman to her former glory. And Uwe? He sticks to his premiere, after all, it promises to be a full house. On the evening of the ...

Duke Ernest

Duke Ernest

1993 | 43 min | Animation

Duke Ernst is robbed of his castle as a result of a conspiracy and sent on the first crusade as penance. His journey takes him far beyond known borders into a world full of wonders and dangers. Accompanied by brave knights, he crosses the sea to reach the Orient, where he encounters numerous mythical creatures in his search for the legendary carbuncle: the one-legged Sciopods, the winged Ariasperns, the tiny Pygmies and the enigmatic birds Roch. During his adventures, he finds unexpected allies ...