Emmanuelle Bercot

After training in dance and studying at the Cours Florent, Emmanuelle Bercot began her career in theatre with Robert Hossein and Jean Macqueron, before attending La Fémis. Her first short film, Les Vacances, won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997. In 1999, her graduation film, the medium-length La Puce, won the Cinéfondation Prize at Cannes. At the same time, she continued to work as an actress, appearing in films such as Claude Miller’s La Classe de neige (Class Trip) in 1997 and Bertrand Tavernier’s Ça commence aujourd'hui (It All Starts Today) in 1998. In 2001, she directed her first feature film, Clément, in which she also starred. The film was presented in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival in 2001. In 2005, she directed Backstage with Emmanuelle Seigner and Isild Le Besco, which was presented at the Venice Film Festival. In 2011, she co-wrote Polisse with Maïwenn, in which she also played a police officer, and which won the Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize. In 2013, she directed Catherine Deneuve in Elle s'en va (On My Way), which was selected for the Berlinale.

In 2015, her film La tête haute (Standing Tall) was chosen as the opening film at Cannes. That same year, she won the Best Actress award for her role in Maïwenn's Mon roi (My King), where she starred alongside Vincent Cassel. She returned behind the camera in 2015 with La fille de Brest (150 Milligrams). In 2018, she starred with Golshifteh Farahani in Les filles du soleil (Girls of the Sun), which was in official competition at Cannes. In 2019, she appeared in Cédric Kahn's Fête de famille (Happy Birthday). In 2021, Bercot's film De son vivant(Peaceful), starring Catherine Deneuve and Benoît Magimel, was released. Alongside her directing work, she has continued to act in notable roles, including Frédéric Tellier's Goliath (2022) with Gilles Lellouche and Pierre Niney, and Sylvain Desclous' De grandes espérances (Great Expectations) (2023). She also appeared in Frédéric Tellier's L’Abbé Pierre, une vie de combats (Abbé Pierre: A Life of Struggle) and Cédric Kahn's Making Of. Her upcoming projects include Guillaume de Fontenay's Badh and Martin Jauvat's Baise en ville, both anticipated in 2025.

Her television work includes appearances in Oded Ruskin's Paris Has Fallen (2024) and Philippe Faucon's Fiertés (2018). On stage, notable performances include Ivo van Hove's After the Rehearsal / Persona (2023) and Face to Face (2019), a Bergman adaptation by Léonor Matton.