As the director behind the Lumiere Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival, Theirry Fremaux is an artistic director for the biggest film festivals in the world. He selects the films to feature in each competition and often premieres productions that become internationally successful.

Born in Tullins-Fures, France, Fremaux earned a degree in film history from Lumiere University Lyon 2 before embarking on his legendary career. Fremaux first started working at the Institute Lumiere in Lyon in 1983. In 1995, he became artistic director at the institute, later working as managing director. Since 2000, he has been involved with Cannes Film Festival as both Artistic Director and Director. Fremaux has also worked as an organizer of the Lumiere Festival since its inaugural year in 2009.

Fremaux produced, directed, and narrated Lumiere in 2016, a documentary profiling early films by the Lumiere brothers. While he is mostly known as a film critic, he has also produced several other short films including Cercle Vicieux and Sortie D’usine. Fremaux has been featured in multiple films about his prestigious career and has been profiled by countless media outlets. He notably selected Atlantics and Les Miserables for Cannes’ main competition in 2019 and featured Parasite, Shoplifters, and Capernaum long before their recognition at the Academy Awards. As a leader of the top film festivals in the world, Theirry Fremaux is undoubtedly an iconic figure in the arts.