French filmmaker Céline Sciamma was BOTD in 1978. Born in Paris, she studied French literature before studying filmmaking at La Fémis. Originally intending to be a screenwriter, she was encouraged by her film teachers to direct her own work. Her 2007 debut feature film Naissance des Pieuvres (Water Lilies), a drama about the coming-of-age of three teenaged girls. Premiering at the Cannes Festival, it was nominated for three César Awards. Her 2014 film Tomboy, about a 10 year-old gender non-conforming girl, was widely praised, winning a number of prizes from LGBTQ film festivals. Her next project Bande des filles (Girlhood) focused on young Black French women, in response to her concerns about the lack of representation of Black experience in French cinema. After writing a screenplay for filmmaker André Téchiné, she received international attention for her 2019 film Portrait de la jeune fille en feu (Portrait of a Lady on Fire), a drama about a French aristocrat who falls in love with the female artist commissioned to paint her portrait. Premiering at the Cannes Festival, where it won the Queer Palm for Best LGBTQ film and Best Screenplay for Sciamma, it was acclaimed as one of the best films of the year. At the 2020 Césars ceremony, where Portrait was nominated for nine awards, Sciamma led a protest against that year’s best director winner Roman Polanski, criticising the French filmmaking industry for supporting an admitted sex offender. Her 2021 film Petite Maman continued her interest in female-led narratives and the fluid nature of sexuality. Her most recent film Les Femmes au balcon (The Balconettes), a lesbian-themed crime comedy, was released in 2024. A founding member of the French 5050 by 2020 movement, she has advocated for gender parity in the film industry. Openly gay since forever, Sciamma was in a long-term relationship with her Portrait star Adèle Haenel, separating amicably and continuing to work together. Sciamma lives in Paris; her current relationship status is unknown.