Sidonie Dumas

Sidonie Dumas, born April 28, 1967, in Boulogne-Billancourt, France—yeah, right near Paris—has basically been a behind-the-scenes powerhouse in the film world for ages now. Seriously, if you’re even a little bit into movies that rattle your brain a bit, you’ve stumbled across her work. She’s the CEO of Gaumont, one of those OG movie companies with roots that go all the way back to the 1800s (wild, right?). Dumas took over the family business—her dad, Nicolas Seydoux, is kind of a big deal too—and turned it into a global player, not just some French legacy act. She’s got a knack for picking projects that aren’t cookie-cutter. Think “Only God Forgives,” which, let’s be real, split audiences down the middle with its neon-drenched violence and trippy vibes. Or “The Neon Demon,” which is, like, fashion-meets-horror fever dream territory. And don’t forget “Splice,” that mad scientist flick that’s equal parts disturbing and kind of oddly touching. Dumas doesn’t shy away from the weird, the risky, or the straight-up controversial. She bets on filmmakers who want to push boundaries—Nicolas Winding Refn, Vincenzo Natali, all those folks. What’s wild is how she’s kept Gaumont relevant, weaving between arthouse and mainstream, jumping into TV when everyone else was just figuring out streaming’s more than a fad. She’s pretty private—no wild Hollywood headlines—but her influence is everywhere. Sidonie Dumas is basically that person pulling the strings backstage, pushing cinema to go bolder, weirder, and way more interesting. Her name might not be all over the credits, but without her, a lot of those daring films just… wouldn’t exist.