Thomas Cailley
Thomas Cailley (lang; born 29 April 1980) is a French screenwriter and film director. In 2014, he made his feature directorial debut with Love at First Fight, which won three César Awards including Best First Film. In 2023 he made his second movie The Animal Kingdom.
Thomas Cailley
Georges Biard · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Thomas Cailley
- Born
- 29 April 1980
- Birthplace
- Clermont-Ferrand, France
- Occupation
- Screenwriter, director
- Nationality
- France
- Honours
- Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres · César Award for Best First Film · Lumière Award for Best Director
- Languages
- French
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Documentary summary
Thomas Cailley (lang; born 29 April 1980) is a French screenwriter and film director. In 2014, he made his feature directorial debut with Love at First Fight, which won three César Awards including Best First Film. In 2023 he made his second movie The Animal Kingdom.
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Note VALÉORINE
Thomas Cailley (born 1980) is a film director and screenwriter, of French nationality. The film director was born in Clermont-Ferrand. Thomas Cailley is a member of Collectif 50/50.
Languages used include French. Honours include César Award for Best First Film, Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres and Lumière Award for Best Director.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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Authority files
wikidata · Q19544017 · wikipedia · Thomas Cailley
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Thomas Cailley • Born — 29 April 1980 • Birthplace — Clermont-Ferrand, France • Occupation — Screenwriter, director • Years Active — 2009–present
Biography
Biography
Born in Clermont-Ferrand Cailley, studied at Sciences Po Bordeaux. After completing general studies, he spent three years working in a company producing television documentaries. In 2007, he entered La Fémis, studying in the screenwriting department. He is a member of the Collectif 50/50, which aims to promote gender equality and diversity in cinema and audiovisual.
Filmography
Filmography
• Year — Title — Role — Notes — Ref(s) Reference • 2009 — À domicile — Writer — Short directed by Bojina Panayotova • 2011 — Paris Shanghai — Director/Writer/Composer — Short IndieLisboa International Independent Film Festival - Best Short Film Molodist International Film Festival - Best Film • 2012 — Baba Noël — Writer — Short directed by Walid Mattar • Le premier pas — Writer — Short directed by Jonathan Lennuyeux-Comnène • 2014 — Love at First Fight — Director/Writer — César Award for Best First Film Cannes Film Festival - C.I.C.A.E. Award Cannes Film Festival - FIPRESCI Award Cannes Film Festival - Label Europa Cinemas Cannes Film Festival - SACD Prize Louis Delluc Prize - Best First Film French Syndicate of Cinema Critics - Best First Film Nominated - César Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated - César Award for Best Director Nominated - César Award for Best Film Nominated - Cannes Film Festival - Golden Camera Nominated - Cannes Film Festival - Queer Palm Nominated - Globes de Cristal Award - Best Film Nominated - Lumière Award for Best First Film • 2015 — Louise Attaque: "Anomalie" — Director — Music video • 2016 — Ma révolution — Writer — Directed by Ramzi Ben Sliman • Trepalium — Writer — TV Mini-Series, directed by Vincent Lannoo • 2018 — Ami-ami — Writer — Directed by Victor Saint Macary • Ad Vitam — Director/Writer — TV Mini-Series, co-directed 3 episodes with Manuel Schapira • 2023 — The Animal Kingdom — Director/Writer — Lumière Award for Best Director Nominated – César Award for Best Director
Decorations
Decorations
• Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters (2015)
Primary material
Documents and archives
scholarly publication
- Dossier Pédagogique: Le règne animal (Thomas Cailley, 2023), The French Review, 2025
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 2025
- Le règne animal réal. par Thomas Cailley (review), The French Review, 2025
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 2025
reference work
- “Thomas Cailley”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q19544017: Thomas Cailley
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
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.Cinéma: trois César pour le film "Les Combattants" tourné à Langon. Actu.fr. 21 February 2015.
- 2.Felperin, Leslie. 'The Animal Kingdom' Review: Romain Duris and Adèle Exarchopoulos in a Sensitive French Sci-Fi Adventure. The Hollywood Reporter. 2023-05-17.
- 3.Marques, Sandrine. Fémis, pêche à la truite et retraite en forêt : le parcours du combattant Thomas Cailley. Le Monde. 19 August 2014.
- 4.Cinéma : Adèle Exarchopoulos et Romain Duris bientôt en tournage à Bordeaux et Bergerac. Sud Ouest. 1 April 2022.
- 5.Collard, Caroline. Interview: Thomas Cailley "We have trusted our characters". SACD Le Magazine. 12. Summer 2014.
- 6.SACD Le Magazine. Highlights. 13. Summer 2014.
- 7.Hamon, Nathalie. Le réalisateur des "Combattants" aux 400 Coups. Ouest-France. 23 August 2014.
- 8.Bradshaw, Peter. Les Combattants review – slow-burner of a romance from French talent. The Guardian. 18 June 2015.
- 9.Renault, Gilles. Gaëtan Roussel, de Louise Attaque: "Il a fallu se réapprivoiser". Libération. 12 February 2016.
- 10.Joudet, Murielle. Ami-ami : mes amis, mes amours, mes emmerdes. Le Monde. 17 January 2018.
- 11.Chapuis, Marius. Ad Vitam, trépas de côté. Libération. 8 November 2018.
- 12.Keslassy, Elsa. 'Anatomy of a Fall' Wins Best Film, Actress, Screenplay at France's Lumiere Awards. Variety. 22 January 2024.
- 13.Nomination dans l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres juillet 2015 - Ministère de la Culture. www.culturecommunication.gouv.fr.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
scholarly publication
Dossier Pédagogique: Le règne animal (Thomas Cailley, 2023), The French Review, 2025Crossref registry
Institutional witnessscholarly publication
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
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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