Justine Triet (; born 17 July 1978) is a French

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

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 editor. She has received several awards including an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

BAFTA Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...

, a

Palme d'Or The (; ) is the highest prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festiv ...

, three

César Awards The César Award is the national film award of France. It is delivered in the ' ceremony and was first awarded in 1976. The nominations are selected by the members of twelve categories of filmmaking professionals and supported by the French Min ...

, and two

Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual Awards ceremony, award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally ...

. Triet started her career making documentary short films surrounding

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

issues and commentary starting with '' Sur Place'' (2007) which explored the 2006 youth protests in France. She made her narrative directorial feature film debut with the

comedy drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

'' Age of Panic'' (2013) followed by the romantic comedy '' In Bed with Victoria'' (2016) and the drama ''

Sibyl The sibyls were prophetesses or oracles in Ancient Greece. The sibyls prophet, prophesied at holy sites. A sibyl at Delphi has been dated to as early as the eleventh century BC by Pausanias (geographer), PausaniasPausanias 10.12.1 when he desc ...

'' (2019). She gained widespread acclaim for directing '' Anatomy of a Fall'', which debuted at the 76th Cannes Film Festival and won the

, making Triet the third female director to win the award. In 2024, she became the first female French filmmaker to be nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Director The Academy Award for Best Director (officially known as the Academy Award of Merit for Directing) is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of a film director who has exhibit ...

and to win the

Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best ...

Early life and education

Triet is a graduate of the Beaux-Arts de Paris.

Career

2007–2009: Documentary short films

The majority of her early work consisted of short documentary filmmaking focused on social justice issues and commentary, beginning with '' Sur Place'' (2007), ''L’Orde des mots'' (2007), ''Solférino'' (2009), and ''Des ombres dans la maison'' (2010). ''On the Spot'' or ''Sur Place'' (2007), shot, edited, and directed by Triet, is a documentary film depicting the 2006 youth protests in France with a more nuanced coverage than what was televised. ''Binding Words'' or ''L’Orde des mots'' (2007), co-directed and edited by Triet, tackles questions of sexual identity head on. ''Solférino'' (2009), shot, edited, and directed by Triet, covered the 2007 French presidential election. ''Shadows in the House'' or ''Des ombres dans la maison'' (2010), shot, edited, and directed by Triet, focuses on Paulo Gustavo's life with his mother who struggles with alcoholism.

2012–2022: Narrative films

In 2012, Triet began to shift away from documentary films, writing and directing her first short film, ''Two Ships'', which garnered a total of 9 total awards and 6 additional nominations in the film festival circuit that year, including Best European Short Film at the

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

and Grand Prize for the Best International Short-film at the Angers European First Film Festival. Her directorial debut feature film, '' Age of Panic'', was presented as part of the ACID programme at the

2013 Cannes Film Festival The 66th Cannes Film Festival took place from 15 to 26 May 2013. American filmmaker Steven Spielberg was the Jury President for the main competition. French actress Audrey Tautou hosted the opening and closing ceremonies. The French film ''Blu ...

and was ranked number 10 on '' Cahiers du Cinémas Top 10 List in 2013, after being highlighted by critic Stéphane Delorme in the April 2013 editorial among a generation of young, emerging French filmmakers. The film also won the Audience Award for Best Short Film at the Paris International Film Festival. In 2016, she wrote and directed the romantic comedy-drama '' In Bed with Victoria'', which was nominated for the

for Best Film and

Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best ...

. In 2019, her comedy-drama film ''

'' premiered at the

2019 Cannes Film Festival The 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 14 to 25 May 2019. Mexican filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu served as jury president for the main competition. South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho won the , the festival's top prize, fo ...

, where it competed for the

2023–present: ''Anatomy of a Fall'' and acclaim

In 2023, her courtroom thriller '' Anatomy of a Fall'' was presented at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the

, making Triet the third female director to win the award. She also won two

for Best Screenplay and Best Foreign Language Film. In 2024, Triet became the first female French filmmaker and the eighth female director to be nominated for the

for Best Director for ''Anatomy of a Fall'', also winning the

, with the film receiving a total of 5 nominations, including Best Picture. Triet also won a

for

and was nominated for Best Director and Best Film Not in the English Language for ''Anatomy of a Fall'', which received 7 nominations in total, including Best Film. Triet also won three

for Best Film, Best Director and

for ''Anatomy of a Fall'', which won a total of 6 awards at the 2024 César Awards.

Influences and recognition

In February 2020, her 50 inspirational films were published on LaCinetek. Triet listed two works each by

Gus Van Sant Gus Green Van Sant Jr. (born July 24, 1952) is an American filmmaker, photographer, painter, and musician. He has earned acclaim as an independent film, independent auteur. His films typically deal with themes of marginalized subcultures. His ...

('' Gerry'' and ''Psycho''),

Robert Zemeckis Robert Lee Zemeckis (born May 14, 1952) is an American filmmaker known for directing and producing a range of successful and influential movies, often blending cutting-edge visual effects with storytelling. He has received several accolades incl ...

('' What Lies Beneath'' and '' Contact''), and Frederick Wiseman ( ''Juvenile Court'' and Welfare), as well as three by

Richard Fleischer Richard Owen Fleischer (; December 8, 1916 – March 25, 2006) was an American film director. His career spanned more than four decades, beginning at the height of the Golden Age of Hollywood and lasting through the American New Wave. He was the ...

('' Mandingo'', '' The Boston Strangler'', ''See No Evil''). In June 2024, Triet was invited to become a member of the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...

Personal life

Relationships

Triet is in a relationship with French filmmaker Arthur Harari, with whom she has two daughters. The couple first worked together on Triet's ''Age of Panic'' (2013), with Arthur starring as the friend and the lawyer of Laetitia's boyfriend. Since then, the couple had occasionally helped with each other's projects, the most recent one being the screenplay for '' Anatomy of a Fall'' (2023); however, they do not plan to collaborate on any future projects.

Politics and beliefs

Triet is a member of the French gender equality group Collectif 50/50. While receiving her

at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Triet declared her support for the pension reform protest movement and opposed to President

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...

's repression of it. She accused the "neo-liberal government" of fostering cultural commercialization and weakening France's cultural exceptionalism. Triet dedicated her prize to new directors and those facing challenges in the film industry, urging greater chances and support for rising talent. Her remarks linked to debates that took place in France in October 2022 at the (Call for General Assemblies), an exhibition conference. Some industry insiders blamed French "

auteur An (; , ) is an artist with a distinctive approach, usually a film director whose filmmaking control is so unbounded and personal that the director is likened to the "author" of the film, thus manifesting the director's unique style or thematic ...

" filmmaking for dwindling box office revenue, and urged a reduction in French film output. Triet's speech was criticized by Macron's party, right-wing activists and politicians, and by French culture minister Rima Abdul Malak, who said she was "flabbergasted by such unfair comments." Triet's speech received support from left-wing politicians and the ''SRF'', the French directors's guild. According to '' Variety'', several French insiders claimed that Triet was "punished" for criticizing Macron when France's Oscar committee chose to submit '' The Taste of Things'' over ''Anatomy of a Fall'' to represent the country in the Best International Feature Film category at the 96th Academy Awards. In January 2024, she signed a petition against

Javier Milei Javier Gerardo Milei (born 22 October 1970) is an Argentine politician and economist who has served as President of Argentina since 2023. Milei also served as a national deputy representing the City of Buenos Aires for the party La Libertad ...

's reforms on Argentine film schools.

Filmography

Film

Documentaries

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

*
Justine Triet
at

Cineuropa Cineuropa is an online information portal dedicated to the promotion of European cinema. It publishes daily news, reviews, interviews, and industry reports and maintains a database of information. It is available in four languages: English, Fre ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Triet, Justine 1978 births 21st-century French screenwriters 21st-century French women writers Best Director César Award winners Best Original Screenplay BAFTA Award winners Best Screenplay Golden Globe winners Directors of Palme d'Or winners European Film Award for Best Director winners European Film Award for Best Screenwriter winners French film directors French film editors French film producers French women film directors French women film editors French women film producers French women screenwriters Living people People from Fécamp Best Original Screenplay Academy Award winners