Michel Franco (born 28 August 1979) is a Mexican filmmaker. His films typically deal with themes of dysfunctional families.
He is most known for his film After Lucia (2012), that won the Prize Un Certain Regard at the 65th Cannes Film Festival.
Career His debut feature film Daniel & Ana (2009) had its world premiere in the Director's Fortnight section of the 62nd Cannes Film Festival.
His following film After Lucia (2012) won the Prize Un Certain Regard at the 65th Cannes Film Festival. It was also selected as the Mexican entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. His third feature film Through the Eyes (2013) was co-directed with Victoria Franco, his sister.
Chronic (2015) marked his English-language debut, and stars Tim Roth. It had its world premiere in the main competition of the 68th Cannes Film Festival. It marked the his only film selected to competed for the Palme d'Or.
April's Daughter (2017) had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section of the 70th Cannes Film Festival, where it won the section's Jury Prize.
His sixth feature film New Order (2020) had its world premiere in the main competition of the 77th Venice International Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize. It drew controversy and criticism towards its perceived racial stereotyping.
Sundown (2021) marked his second English-language feature and second collaboration with Tim Roth, had its world premiere in the main competition of the 78th Venice International Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Golden Lion.
Memory (2023) marked his first collaboration with Jessica Chastain, it had its world premiere at the main competition of the 80th Venice International Film Festival, where Peter Sarsgaard won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor.
He followed with Dreams (2025) also starring Chastain, which had its world premiere in the main competition of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Golden Bear.
Upcoming projects His next feature film Circles, will mark his Hebrew-language debut, filmed in January 2025 and shot in black-and-white, set in the early 1950s, it follows siblings Shoshana and Meir Har-Zion, and their deep connection amid the cycle of violence between Arabs and Jews.
Filmography Feature films YearEnglish titleOriginal titleDirectorWriterProducerEditor Notes2009Daniel & Ana 2012 After Lucia Después de Lucía2013 Through the Eyes A los ojosCo-directed with Victoria Franco2015 Chronic2017April's Daughter Las hijas de abril2020 New Order Nuevo orden2021Sundown 2023Memory 2025 Dreams TBA CirclesPost-production
Producing credits 600 Miles (2015) From Afar (2015) The Heirs (2015) El Vendedor de Orquídeas (2016) Workforce (Mano de obra) (2019) On the Rocks (2020) (Producer: Teorema, Mexico) La Civil (2021) (Co-producer) The Box (2021) Heroic (2023) At Midnight (2023) (Executive producer)
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