Bertrand Mandico

Bertrand Mandico (born 21 March 1971) is a French film director and screenwriter. His first feature film, The Wild Boys, was named the best film of 2018 by Cahiers du Cinéma. He has also written and directed After Blue (2021), She Is Conann (2023), Dragon Dilatation (2024), and Roma Elastica (2026). His films are often interested in the body and gender fluidity and incorporate photos and written elements.

Early life Mandico was born on 21 March 1971 He graduated from the film directing program at the Gobelins school in Paris in 1993.

Career Mandico has directed short films, medium-length films, experimental essays, and feature films. Mandico has an unusual working method. He prefers to create the audio for his films in post-production. Actors post-synchronize themselves, and the environmental sounds and music are layered on. However, he always shoots his images on color film, with no post-production images. Background projection and superimposition are done during the shoot.

Mandico's first animated short film, The Blue Cavalier, won the Annecy Prize Grant in 1998.

Mandico explores non-binary identities and gender fluidity in his films, often casting women to play male characters. He was named best director at the Vilnius International Film Festival in 2018 for The Wild Boys (2017), in which all five male protagonists were played by women. It was also named the best film of 2018 by French film magazine Cahiers du Cinéma.

In 2021, he wrote and directed the science fiction film After Blue. In 2024, he wrote and directed the experimental film Dragon Dilatation, combining two film essays: an adaptation of Igor Stravinsky's ballet Petrouchka, and footage from a cancelled stage production rehearsed at the Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers titled The Deviant Comedy.

His upcoming fifth feature film, Roma Elastica, starring Marion Cotillard, premiered at the Midnight Screenings section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.

Personal life Mendico identifies as non-binary, pansexual, agender and xenogender. Mandico uses both male and female pronouns.

Since the 2010s, Mandico has been in a relationship with Romanian-American actress and frequent collaborator Elina Löwensohn, with whom he lives in Paris. Mandico and Löwensohn have collaborated on Mandico's 20+1 Projections, a project of 21 short films in 21 years directed by Mandico and starring Löwensohn which documents the aging process of an actress and began with Boro In The Box (2011). his artistic double and the actress he dreamed of being.

Filmography Mandico has directed feature films, short films, TV-commercials and musical films.

Feature films Year English title French title 2017 The Wild Boys Les Garçons sauvages 2021 After Blue or After Blue (Dirty Paradise) After Blue (Paradis sale) 2023 She Is Conann Conann 2024 Dragon Dilatation 2026 Roma Elastica

Short films Year English title French titleNotes 1997 La Chanson du Jardinier Fou 1999 The Blue Cavalier Le cavalier bleu 2000 Monsieur Flupersu 2002 Osmose Chris Dangoisse: De droite Chris Dangoisse: Ils dansent 2003 C’était le chien d’Eddy 2004 All You Have Seen Is True Tout ce que vous avez vu est vrai 2006 He Says He's Dead Il dit qu'il est mort... 2007 Mie l’enfant descend du songe Essai 135 2009 His Majesty Little Beard Sa majesté petite barbe 2010 The Life and Death of Henry Darger Lif og daudi Henry Darger Burlesque and Cold Burlesque et froid 2011 Boro in the Box 2012 Living Still Life La résurrection des natures mortes (Living Still Life) 2013 Féminisme, rafale et politique Prehistoric Cabaret 2014 S... Sa... Salam... Salammbô... Memories of a Boobs Flasher Souvenirs d'un montreur de seins 2015 Our Lady of Hormones Notre-Dame des Hormones Any Virgin Left Alive? Y a-t-il une vierge encore vivante? Depressive Cop 2017 Odile of the Valley Odile dans la vallée 2018 L’île aux robes Apocalypse After Ultra pulpe Part of Ultra Rêve, a collection of three short films by Mandico, Caroline Poggi and Jonathan Vinel, and Yann Gonzalez. À rebours 2019 Niemand ExtaZus 2020 The Return of Tragedy 2021 HUYSwoMANS 2022 The Last Cartoon Part of L’émission a déjà commencé. J’ai tué Kate Bush Unused footage from the feature film After Blue. 2023 Rainer, A Vicious Dog in a Skull Valley Part of L’émission a déjà commencé. We Barbarians Nous les barbares