Bertrand Mandico

His films are often interested in the body and gender fluidity and incorporate photos and written elements.

• Name — Bertrand Mandico • Born — 21 March 1971 • Birthplace — Toulouse, France • Occupation — * Film director • screenwriter • Years Active — 1997–present • Partner — Elina Löwensohn (c. 2010–present)

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

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 created the Incoherence Manifesto in 2012 with Icelandic filmmaker Katrín Ólafsdóttir. He states that: To be incoherent means to have faith in cinema, it means to have a romantic approach, unformatted, free, disturbed and dreamlike, cinegenic, an epic narration. A group of young filmmakers including Yann Gonzalez, Caroline Poggi and Jonathan Vinel have been influenced by the manifesto. In 2010, Mandico commenced 20+1 Projections, a collaborative project with Romanian-American actress Elina Löwensohn, where they are to make 21 short films in 21 years. Though each film is meant to be a unique narrative and formal work, they are to revolve around the themes of aging and desire. Their first collaboration was in Boro in a Box (2011). 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 2023, he wrote and directed the action fantasy She Is Conann, a feminist take on Conan the Barbarian. 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.

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). Mandico has described Löwensohn as his favorite actress, his artistic double and the actress he dreamed of being.

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

Bertrand Mandico is recorded as film director, screenwriter, actor, draftsperson and graphic artist.

• 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

• Year — English title — French title — Notes • 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