Léa Mysius

Léa Mysius is a French film director and screenwriter whose work has quickly become synonymous with intimate, character‑driven cinema. Born on 4 April 1989 in Bordeaux, France, she spent her early childhood in the Médoc region before moving to Réunion at thirteen, an experience that broadened her cultural perspective and later informed the geographical textures in her films. She earned a baccalauréat scientifique at seventeen, pursued literature at the Sorbonne, and in 2010 entered the prestigious La Fémis school where she studied screenwriting, graduating in 2014 with a strong grounding in narrative structure. Mysius made her directorial debut in 2013 with the short Cadavre exquis, a piece that won the Prix SACD at Clermont‑Ferrand and announced her talent for blending visual poetry with emotional depth. Her 2014 short Thunderbirds (Les oiseaux‑tonnerre) garnered nominations at Angers and Cannes, while the co‑directed L'île jaune secured the Grand Jury Prize at Angers in 2016, cementing her reputation on the festival circuit. In 2017 she wrote and directed her first feature, Ava, a haunting tale of a young girl confronting impending blindness; the film premiered at Cannes, won the SACD Award, and was nominated for the Caméra d'Or, showcasing her ability to translate personal stories into universal cinema. The same year she co‑wrote Arnaud Desplechin’s Ismael’s Ghosts, further demonstrating her collaborative versatility. Her second feature, The Five Devils (Les cinq diables), screened in the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes 2022, explored family secrets with a deft, lyrical hand. As a screenwriter she has contributed to notable projects such as Oh Mercy! (Desplechin, 2019), Jacques Audiard’s Paris, 13th District (2021), Claire Denis’s Stars at Noon (2022) and the upcoming Emilia Pérez (2024). She frequently collaborates with her twin sister, set designer Esther Mysius, and maintains a creative partnership with cinematographer Paul Guilhaume, her long‑term partner. Recognized for her nuanced storytelling, Mysius continues to shape contemporary French cinema with both original direction and insightful screenwriting.