Amanda Queffélec-Maruani (born 18 April 1978), known professionally as Amanda Sthers, is a French

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

and

filmmaker Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

Biography

Sthers is of Tunisian

Sefardi Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...

and

Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally **Breton people **Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Gale ...

origins. She has written ten novels which have been translated in more than 14 countries. Her first play, "Le Vieux Juif blonde" is today studied at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. Her play "Le Lien" has been performed in Paris and at the

Avignon Festival The ''Festival d'Avignon'', or Avignon Festival (), is an annual arts festival held in the French city of Avignon every summer in July in the courtyard of the Palais des Papes as well as in other locations of the city. Founded in 1947 by Jean ...

in 2013, and was widely performed in Italy in 2016. Sthers wrote and directed the movie ''Je vais te manquer'' in which she directed Carole Bouquet, Michael Lonsdale, and Mélanie Thierry. In 2015, she wrote an adaptation of ''Les Terres Saintes'' / ''Holy Lands'', which she later directed in English. Shooting took place during winter 2017 in Israel. At the 2017

Zurich Film Festival Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) is an annual film festival that has been held in Zürich, Switzerland, since 2005. The festival's main focus is to promote emerging filmmakers from all over the world. In three competition categories only first, secon ...

, '' Madame'', a feature film that she wrote and directed in English was screened, starring

Toni Collette Toni Collette (born Collett; 1 November 1972) is an Australian actress, singer, and songwriter. Known for her work in television, blockbusters and independent films, her accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award, wit ...

Harvey Keitel Harvey Keitel ( ; born May 13, 1939) is an American actor and film producer, known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He rose to prominence during the New Hollywood movement, and has held a long-running associatio ...

, and Rossy de Palma.

Personal life

On 21 September 2004, Sthers married singer and actor

Patrick Bruel Patrick Benguigui (; born 14 May 1959), better known by his stage name Patrick Bruel (), is a French singer-songwriter, actor and professional poker player. Biography Early life Patrick is the son of Pierre Benguigui and Augusta Kammoun, d ...

. The two have two children, Oscar and Léon, who was born 28 September 2005. The couple separated in 2007. Sthers moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

with her two children in 2017 where she started a film production company.

Awards and honours

* Sthers has been given the title of "

Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

" by the French government.

Works

* 2002: '' Caméra Café'', TV series, writer * 2004: ''Ma place sur la photo'', novel () * 2005: ''Chicken Street'', novel () * 2006: ''Le vieux juif blonde'', play with

Mélanie Thierry Mélanie Thierry (born 17 July 1981) is a French actress. Early life and career Mélanie Thierry began her career as a model in France, then moved into acting. She began with a series of roles in French productions, and at the age of 17 appeared ...

, directed by

Jacques Weber Jacques Weber is a French actor, director, and writer. Life and career Weber joined the Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique at the age of 20, and won the Prix d'Excellence when he left. He joined Robert Hossein in Rheims, and ...

() * 2006: ''Le chat bleu, l’alouette et le canard timide'', children book, drawings by Pierre Cornuel, Grasset Jeunesse () * 2007: ''Thalasso'', play * 2007: ''Madeleine'', novel * 2007: ''Les pt'its legumes'', children book () * 2008: ''Keith Me'', novel,

Stock Stocks (also capital stock, or sometimes interchangeably, shares) consist of all the Share (finance), shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided. A single share of the stock means fractional ownership of the corporatio ...

() * 2010: ''Les terres saintes'', novel, Stock () * 2010: ''Liberace'', biography, Plon () * 2011: ''Le carnet secret de Lili Lampion'', children book,

stage musical Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

at the

Théâtre de Paris The Théâtre de Paris () is a theatre located at 15, rue Blanche in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, 9th arrondissement of Paris. It includes a second smaller venue, the Petit Théâtre de Paris. History The first theatre on the site was built b ...

* 2012: ''Rompre le charme'', novel, Stock * 2012: ''Le lien'', play * 2013: ''Dans mes yeux'',

Johnny Hallyday Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (; 15 June 1943 – 5 December 2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and Pop music, pop singer and actor, credited with having brought rock and roll to France. During a career ...

biography, Plon () * 2013: ''Les érections américaines'', essay,

Flammarion Flammarion may refer to: * Camille Flammarion (1842–1925), French astronomer and author * Gabrielle Renaudot Flammarion (1877–1962), French astronomer, second wife of Camille Flammarion * Sylvie Flammarion (1836-1919), French feminist and paci ...

* 2013: ''Mur'', play * 2015: ''Les promesses'', novel, Grasset * 2015: ''Conseil de famille'', play, Théâtre de la Renaissance * 2017: '' Madame'', feature film, writer and director * 2017: '' Holy Lands'', feature film, writer and director * 2020: ''Lettre d’amour sans le dire'', novel, Grasset * 2021: '' Promises'', feature film, writer and director * 2022: ''Le café suspendu'', novel, Grasset * 2023: '' Mafia Mamma'', feature film, original story idea

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sthers, Amanda 1978 births Living people Writers from Paris French women novelists French women screenwriters French women dramatists and playwrights French women film directors French people of Tunisian-Jewish descent Film directors from Paris 21st-century French novelists 21st-century French dramatists and playwrights 21st-century French women writers Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres 21st-century French screenwriters