Brigitte Sy
Brigitte Sy (born 26 January 1956) is a French actress and filmmaker. Her directorial film debut, Les Mains libres, was released in 2010 to critical acclaim in France.
Brigitte Sy

Andriy Makukha (Amakuha) · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Brigitte Sy
- Born
- 26 January 1956
- Birthplace
- Paris, France
- Occupation
- Film director, actress, screenwriter
- Spouse
- Philippe Garrel (divorced)
- Full name
- Brigitte Françoise Sy.
- Nationality
- France.
- Languages
- French.
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Documentary summary
Brigitte Sy (born 26 January 1956) is a French actress and filmmaker. Her directorial film debut, Les Mains libres, was released in 2010 to critical acclaim in France.
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Note VALÉORINE
Brigitte Sy (born 1956) is an actress, film director and screenwriter, of French nationality. The actress was born Brigitte Françoise Sy in 10ᵗʰ arrondissement of Paris. Languages used include French.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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wikidata · Q2925490 · wikipedia · Brigitte Sy
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Brigitte Sy • Born — 26 January 1956 • Birthplace — Paris, France • Occupation — Film director, actress, screenwriter • Years Active — 1979–present • Spouse — Philippe Garrel (divorced) • Children — Louis Garrel Esther Garrel
Life and career
Life and career
She is the mother of the actors Louis Garrel and Esther Garrel whom she had with the director Philippe Garrel. In an Arte short film collection about AIDS awareness, she revealed that she has been HIV-positive since 1990, contracted from a partner who previously had a drug addiction. She also addresses the issue in Les mains libres and L'endroit idéal where the protagonist, Barbara (played by Ronit Elkabetz), is HIV-positive. Along with 99 other French women writers, performers and academics, she signed an open letter that argued the #MeToo movement had gone too far, turning into a "witch hunt", and denounced it as a form of puritanism, resulting in a backlash. She is of Sephardic Jewish descent.
As actress
As actress
• Year — Title — Role — Director — Notes • 1979 — Memoirs of a French Whore — Daniel Duval • 1983 — Télévision de chambre — Young girl — Arthur Joffé — TV series (1 episode) • 1984 — Liberté, la nuit — Micheline — Philippe Garrel • 1989 — Les baisers de secours — Jeanne — Philippe Garrel • 1991 — J'entends plus la guitare — Aline — Philippe Garrel • Meeting Venus — French Customs Officer — István Szabó • Cas de divorce — Agnès Delsol — Gérard Espinasse — TV series (1 episode) • 1993 — Le signal — The woman — Mendy Younès — Short • 1997 — Genealogies of a Crime — Jeanne — Raúl Ruiz • Ma 6-T va crack-er — The director — Jean-François Richet • 1998 — Cantique de la racaille — Véronique — Vincent Ravalec • 2000 — Combats de femme — Marlène — Yves Thomas — TV series (1 episode) • 2005 — Regular Lovers — François's mother — Philippe Garrel • Des putes dans les arbres — Emmanuelle Huchet — Short • 2006 — Déluge — Her mother — Antoine Barraud — Short • 2008 — Fear(s) of the Dark — Eric's mother — Charles Burns • L'été indien — Alice — Alain Raoust • Versailles — Madame Herchel — Pierre Schoeller • Choisir d'aimer — Isabelle — Rachid Hami — Short • Rien dans les poches — Agathe Manikowski — Marion Vernoux — TV movie • Ben et Thomas — Madame Bouillon — Jon Carnoy — TV series (2 episodes) • 2009 — Nice — Fanny — Maud Alpi — Short • 2010 — Les Mains libres — The blond — Brigitte Sy • 2011 — Declaration of War — Claudia Benaïm — Valérie Donzelli • Une vie meilleure — The indebtedness volunteer — Cédric Kahn • Dernière séance — The taxi driver — Laurent Achard • Vourdalak — France — Frédérique Moreau — Short • Un mauvais père — Madame Legendre — Tigrane Avedikian — Short • 2012 — Chacun sa nuit — Claudine — Marina Diaby — Short • 2013 — Nuts — Madame Herschel — Yann Coridian • A Place on Earth — Loraine Morin — Fabienne Godet • Vandal — Christine — Hélier Cisterne • De l'usage du sex-toy en temps de crise — The doctor — Éric Pittard • Surveillance — Michele — Sébastien Grall — TV movie • 2014 — Wild Life — Geneviève — Cédric Kahn • 2015 — L'Astragale — Rita — Brigitte Sy • La promenade du diable — Béatrice de Staël & Brigitte Sy — Short • Lui au printemps, elle en hiver — Hélène — Catherine Klein — TV movie • 2017 — All That Divides Us — Ben's mother — Thierry Klifa • 2017–present — Black Spot — Sabine Hennequin — Julien Despaux & Thierry Poiraud — TV series (16 episodes) • 2018 — The Great Pretender — Thérèse's mom — Nathan Silver • 2019 — Invisibles — Béatrice — Louis-Julien Petit • Online Billie — Brigitte — Lou Assous • 2023 — Little Girl Blue — Monique Lange (voice) — Mona Achache
As filmmaker
As filmmaker
• Year — Title — Credited as — Notes • Director — Screenwriter • 2008 — L'Endroit idéal — Featurette • 2009 — Fruits de mer — TV short documentary • 2010 — Les Mains libres • 2015 — L'Astragale • 2015 — La Promenade du diable — Featurette • 2016 — Les Ogres • 2022 — Le Bonheur est pour demain — Released 2024
Identity
Identity
Brigitte Sy is recorded with the occupation film director. Recorded with the occupation screenwriter. Recorded with the occupation actor. Recorded as actress, film director and screenwriter. Recorded at birth as Brigitte Françoise Sy.

French filmmaker Brigitte Sy at the 6th Odessa International Film Festival.
Andriy Makukha (Amakuha)

French filmmaker Brigitte Sy at the 6th Odessa International Film Festival.
Andriy Makukha (Amakuha)
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Brigitte Sy”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q2925490: Brigitte Sy
General reference · Wikidata
Awards and nominations
List of awards and nominations • Year — Title of work — Award — Category — Result • 2009 — L'Endroit idéal — Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival — Best Short Film • International Istanbul Film Festival — Best Short Film • Festival do Rio — Best Short Film • Créteil International Women's Film Festival — Best Short Film • Lutin Short Film Award — Best Fictional Film • 2016 — L'Astragale — Filmfest München — Best International Film • Odesa International Film Festival — International Competition • Film by the Sea International Film Festival — Film and Literature Award • 2017 — Les Ogres — Lumière Awards — Best Screenplay
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Les mains libres, brillant ! (Studio Ciné Live) L'Express. 15 June 2010. French
- 2.Les Mains libres de Brigitte Sy Evene. Retrieved on 29 June. French
- 3.La femme et le prisonnier Le Figaro. 16 June 2010. French
- 4.Brigitte Sy – Actrice française Evene. Retrieved on 21 July 2010. French
- 5.10 courts contre le Sida – « Fruits de mer » de Brigitte Sy Arte. Retrieved on 21 July. French
- 6."Les Mains libres" : derrière les murs de la prison, Brigitte Sy filme les émotions 15 June 2010. Le Monde. French
- 7.Catherine Deneuve and 100 French women denounce #MeToo 'puritanism'. DW.COM.
- 8.Catherine Deneuve's claim of #MeToo witch-hunt sparks backlash. The Guardian. 10 January 2018.
- 9.«Nous défendons une liberté d'importuner, indispensable à la liberté sexuelle», Le Monde, 1/9/2018
- 10.Petit Tailleur, le coup de foudre filmé par Louis Garrel. Les Inrocks. 6 October 2010.
- 11.Transmissions avec Louis et Philippe Garrel. www.franceinter.fr. 25 December 2018.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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