About

Known credits:
94
Birthday:
1951-01-10
Place of birth:
Nancy, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France
Website:
Click here

Nicolas Philibert

Overview

Nicolas Philibert (French: [filibɛʁ]; born 10 January 1951) is a French documentary filmmaker. He has directed films since 1978. At the 73rd Berlinale (2023), he receives the Golden Bear for his film "On the Adamant".

Philibert's father was a film lecturer and he attended his talks in his youth. This encouraged him to embark on a film career. He started this with René Allio (1970), as a trainee on Les Camisards as an assistant on Rude Journée pour la reine (1973) and assistant-director on Moi, Pierre Rivière, ayant égorgé ma mère, ma sœur et mon frère... (1975). In 1978 he co-directed with Gérard Mordillat a feature documentary His Master's Voice, in which a dozen bosses of big industrial groups discuss power, leadership, hierarchies and the role of unions. Between 1985 and 1987, he made several films about mountains and adventure for TV, then turned to making feature-length documentaries for theatrical distribution: La Ville Louvre (1990), Le Pays des sourds (1992), Un animal, des animaux (1995), La Moindre des choses (1996) - at the psychiatric clinic of La Borde, as well as an experimental film with the pupils of the theatre school Théâtre national de Strasbourg, Qui sait? (1998). In 2001, Nicolas Philibert made Être et avoir, about daily life in a single class school on a small village in the Auvergne. It won the Prix Louis Delluc 2002, and became a box office and critical success in France and internationally. The film was screened out of competition at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. With Retour en Normandie (2007), he revisited the traces of a previous films, made thirty years earlier by René Allio, with local peasants playing the lead roles. With Nénette (2010), made at the Ménagerie du Jardin des plantes in Paris, he produced an intimated portrait of the most famous of its inhabitants a female orang-utang, Nénette, held in captivity for 36 years. La Maison de la radio (2013), takes us into the heart of the French Radio headquarters in Paris, finding out who inhabits the place and discovering the mysteries of its long corridors. Over the last fifteen years there have been more than 120 retrospectives or 'homages' to Philibert organised internationally including the British Film Institute (London) and the Museum of Modern Art (New York).

He was one of the directors invited to nominate his favourite films in the British Film Institute's 2012 poll.

He explains, in French, his motivations, his influences (including Agnés Varda) and the history of his career as a documentary film maker, especially the 'impermeable' frontiers between documentary and drama in an interview recorded in April 2012.

Known for

Acting
2020 Nicolas Philibert, Hasard et Nécessité Actor N/A
N/A
2012 Joseph Morder filme le défilé du Premier Mai Actor N/A
N/A
2007 Back to Normandy Actor Himself 59
Average
2005 Not Like Before Actor Self N/A
N/A
1972 The French Calvinists Actor 58
Average

Directing
2024 The Typewriter and Other Headaches Directing Director 59
Average
2024 At Averroès & Rosa Parks Directing Director 58
Average
2023 On the Adamant Directing Director 59
Average
2020 Nénette's Birthday Directing Director N/A
N/A
2018 Each and Every Moment Directing Director 59
Average
2018 Y'a quelqu'un? Directing Director N/A
N/A
2014 Les 18 du 57, Boulevard de Strasbourg Directing Co-Director 59
Average
2013 La Maison de la Radio Directing Director 59
Average
2013 Joël comme Collado Directing Director N/A
N/A
2013 France Culture au Festival d'Avignon: 'Forcenés' Directing Director N/A
N/A
2011 La nuit du court 2011 Directing Director N/A
N/A
2010 Nénette Directing Director 59
Average
2010 Night Falls on the Menagerie Directing Director N/A
N/A
2010 The Screening Directing Director N/A
N/A
2009 Nénette, orang-outan de Bornéo Directing Director N/A
N/A
2007 Back to Normandy Directing Director 59
Average
2002 The Invisible Directing Director N/A
N/A
2002 To Be and to Have Directing Director 61
Fair
2002 What Drives the Taxidermist Directing Director N/A
N/A
2002 Emmanuelle Laborit, Sign Shards Directing Director N/A
N/A
1999 Who Knows? Directing Director 59
Average
1997 We, France's Undocumented Immigrants Directing Co-Director N/A
N/A
1997 Every Little Thing Directing Director 59
Average
1995 Pour Catherine Directing Director N/A
N/A
1994 Animals and More Animals Directing Director 59
Average
1994 Metamorphosis of a Building Directing Director N/A
N/A
1994 In the Skin of a Badger Directing Director N/A
N/A
1994 Family Portraits Directing Director N/A
N/A
1992 In the Land of the Deaf Directing Director 59
Average
1991 Patrons 78-91 Directing Director N/A
N/A
1990 Louvre City Directing Director 59
Average
1989 A Tale of the Wind Directing Assistant Director 59
Average
1988 Go Ahead, Baby! Directing Director N/A
N/A
1988 Baquet's Comeback Directing Director 59
Average
1987 Trilogy for One Man Directing Director 59
Average
1987 The Measure of the Feat Directing Director N/A
N/A
1986 No Problem Directing Director N/A
N/A
1985 The North Face of the Camembert Directing Director 59
Average
1985 Christophe Directing Director 59
Average
1979 Patrons - Télévision Directing Director N/A
N/A
1978 His Master's Voice Directing Director 59
Average
1977 Les Carnets De L'Aventure Directing Director 70
Good
1976 I, Pierre Rivière, Having Slaughtered My Mother, My Sister and My Brother… Directing Assistant Director 59
Average

Writing
2023 On the Adamant Writing Writer 59
Average
2018 Each and Every Moment Writing Writer 59
Average
2013 La Maison de la Radio Writing Writer 59
Average
2010 Nénette Writing Writer 59
Average
2010 Night Falls on the Menagerie Writing Writer N/A
N/A
2009 Nénette, orang-outan de Bornéo Writing Writer N/A
N/A
2002 To Be and to Have Writing Writer 61
Fair
2002 What Drives the Taxidermist Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1999 Who Knows? Writing Writer 59
Average
1997 Every Little Thing Writing Writer 59
Average
1994 Animals and More Animals Writing Writer 59
Average
1994 In the Skin of a Badger Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1994 Family Portraits Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1994 Metamorphosis of a Building Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1992 In the Land of the Deaf Writing Writer 59
Average
1991 Patrons 78-91 Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1990 Louvre City Writing Writer 59
Average
1979 Patrons - Télévision Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1978 His Master's Voice Writing Writer 59
Average

Art
1974 The Wonderful Crook Art Production Design 59
Average

Camera
2024 At Averroès & Rosa Parks Camera Director of Photography 58
Average
2023 On the Adamant Camera Director of Photography 59
Average
2018 Each and Every Moment Camera Director of Photography 59
Average
2013 France Culture au Festival d'Avignon: 'Forcenés' Camera Director of Photography N/A
N/A
2013 Joël comme Collado Camera Director of Photography N/A
N/A
2010 Nénette Camera Director of Photography 59
Average
2010 Night Falls on the Menagerie Camera Director of Photography N/A
N/A
2010 The Screening Camera Director of Photography N/A
N/A
2009 Nénette, orang-outan de Bornéo Camera Director of Photography N/A
N/A
2002 The Invisible Camera Director of Photography N/A
N/A
2002 To Be and to Have Camera Camera Operator 61
Fair
2002 What Drives the Taxidermist Camera Director of Photography N/A
N/A
1997 Every Little Thing Camera Director of Photography 59
Average

Editing
2024 At Averroès & Rosa Parks Editing Editor 58
Average
2023 On the Adamant Editing Editor 59
Average
2018 Each and Every Moment Editing Editor 59
Average
2013 La Maison de la Radio Editing Editor 59
Average
2011 La nuit du court 2011 Editing Editor N/A
N/A
2010 Nénette Editing Editor 59
Average
2010 The Screening Editing Editor N/A
N/A
2010 Night Falls on the Menagerie Editing Editor N/A
N/A
2009 Nénette, orang-outan de Bornéo Editing Editor N/A
N/A
2007 Back to Normandy Editing Editor 59
Average
2002 To Be and to Have Editing Editor 61
Fair
1997 Every Little Thing Editing Editor 59
Average
1990 Louvre City Editing Editor 59
Average