Philippe Guez

Philippe Guez’s story kicks off in the Parisian suburbs, where he basically lived and breathed cinema from the get-go. He wasn’t just watching movies; he was running movie clubs, sneaking onto sets, and grabbing any excuse to be near a camera—even if it meant working as an extra. By ‘76, he hustled his way into l’E.S.E.C, a top film school, juggling gigs as a commercial photographer to pay the bills and help actors build their portfolios. Fast forward to 1979, he’s out of school and already racking up credits as First Assistant Director on a solid stack of feature films, TV dramas, music videos—you name it. By ‘85, Alain Sarde scooped him up for Sara Films, where Philippe started producing and championing new directors. The ‘90s? Wild. He launched Septième Productions and dove into projects shot everywhere from Cape Town to Miami, working with big names like Christopher Walken and Jennifer Beals. Those international shoots got him hooked, so he jumped into more global co-productions, like Lars von Trier’s “Zentropa” (which snagged the Cannes Jury Prize), “Laps of Memory” in Canada, “Cousin Bette” with Jessica Lange, and “The Luzhin Defense” starring John Turturro. Eventually, frustrated with rigid European funding rules, he switched gears in 2003, forming Evidence Films and focusing back on the French scene. He produced hits like “Nabila’s Letter” for Amnesty International and the romcom “London mon Amour” with Marc Levy—both got solid buzz. Later, he got behind the camera himself, writing and directing shorts tackling discrimination, and those films made festival rounds and primetime TV. Since 2011, he’s been running Peedjee Films, jumping between consulting and producing for major French releases like “For A Woman” and “Les Morues.”