Laurent Firode

• Name — Laurent Firode • Born — 11 March 1963 • Birthplace — Paris, France • Occupation — Director, screenwriter • Years Active — 1996–present

After studying Chinese and Arabic, Laurent Firode directed his first short film, La Mort du chanteur de Mexico, in 1993. The film was a success at festivals and allowed him to make his first feature film, Happenstance (Le Battement d'ailes du papillon), starring Audrey Tautou. After working in Canada on an English-language film, My First Wedding, he returned to France to direct Johnny Hallyday in Quartier VIP. He then wrote and directed several television films, including La Pomme de Newton for Arte, which won the award for Best Screenplay at the Saint-Tropez TV Fiction Festival. In 2012, Firode released the feature film Par amour, before dedicating ten years to directing short films. In 2022, the director returned to cinemas with Le Monde d'après, a satirical sketch comedy addressing various social phenomena (reactions during the health crisis, neo-feminism, transhumanism, identity extremism, etc.). The film, produced outside the traditional institutions and funding of French cinema, was shown during special screenings in a single theater, where it attracted a few hundred viewers. In 2026, Laurent Firode is involved in both the writing and directing of a French series in the duanju format, produced by Guillaume Sanjorge, extending a Parisian aesthetic already present in his film work, notably in Le Battement d’ailes du papillon with Audrey Tautou/.

Laurent Firode is the producer of the YouTube channel "Les films à l'arrache," which publishes satirical short films. According to an article published in La Lettre, the channel received financial support from the conservative Catholic billionaire Pierre-Édouard Stérin as part of his "Périclès" plan. The channel, described as far-right by Charlie Hebdo, caricatures anti-racist discourse, support for transgender identity, environmentalism, and immigration.

• Year — Title — Role — Box office — Notes • 1996 — La mort du chanteur du Mexico — Director, writer, Actor, Editor & Producer — Short Torino Film Festival - Jury Special Prize Torino Film Festival - Special Mention Nominated - Torino Film Festival - Prize of the City of Torino • Super bon prix — Director & writer — Short • 1997 — La nuit est belle — Director, writer, Actor & Cinematographer — Short Festival du Film Policier de Cognac - Best Short • Le cri — Director, writer & Actor — Short • 1998 — Les astres — Director, writer & Cinematographer — Short • La cité Raymond Queneau — Director, Cinematographer & Composer — Short • 1999 — Les menteurs — Director & writer — Short • Le rendez-vous — Cinematographer — Short directed by Husky Kihal • 2000 — Happenstance — Director & writer — $727,431 — Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur - Best Film Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur - Best First Screenplay • 2004 — Moitié-moitié — Director — TV movie • 2005 — Quartier V.I.P. — Director & writer — $451,530 • La pomme de Newton — TV movie • 2006 — My First Wedding — Director — $666,154 • Comment lui dire — Director & writer — TV movie • 2011 — Midi et soir — TV movie • 2012 — Par amour — Director, writer & Editor • Télé gaucho — Actor — $758,347