Simon Frenay
Trained at the Cours Florent, he began his career as an actor, notably appearing in films by Robert Guédiguian and the duo Olivier Ducastel & Jacques Martineau, while also working on international sets and in television.
He quickly shifted his focus behind the camera. His first produced short film, Youssou & Malek, was selected in around forty festivals worldwide and received several awards, establishing a distinctive voice that is both intimate and political. With Carpobrotus, in which he also performs, he continues this sensitive exploration of identity and desire.
He is currently developing If She Is Somewhere, a project rooted in his Réunionese origins, while also shooting a documentary dedicated to the reconstruction of young exiles who have crossed the Mediterranean.
At the crossroads of romanticism and reality, his cinema explores queer narratives grounded in contemporary social and racial issues. Echoing his artistic work, he founded the association Sous le Même Ciel in 2020, a deeply committed initiative supporting exiled people, with a strong focus on unaccompanied minors, whose on-the-ground engagement profoundly nourishes his films.
He quickly shifted his focus behind the camera. His first produced short film, Youssou & Malek, was selected in around forty festivals worldwide and received several awards, establishing a distinctive voice that is both intimate and political. With Carpobrotus, in which he also performs, he continues this sensitive exploration of identity and desire.
He is currently developing If She Is Somewhere, a project rooted in his Réunionese origins, while also shooting a documentary dedicated to the reconstruction of young exiles who have crossed the Mediterranean.
At the crossroads of romanticism and reality, his cinema explores queer narratives grounded in contemporary social and racial issues. Echoing his artistic work, he founded the association Sous le Même Ciel in 2020, a deeply committed initiative supporting exiled people, with a strong focus on unaccompanied minors, whose on-the-ground engagement profoundly nourishes his films.
Known For
21 titles
Clem
Woke
Army of Crime
The Snows of Kilimanjaro
One Year, One Night
Sweet Sixty
Stretch
The French Boys 4
Carpobrotus
Bioscopewala
Don't Look Down
Faces
Night
Elias
At All Costs
Dreaming Like Louis
Ce qui nous lie
Discreet
The Forgiven
The Trial of Klara Wendel
Not That Kind of Guy