The 2001 film Être et avoir chronicles the daily routine of a single-classroom school in an Auvergne village, achieving significant critical and commercial success. Directed by Nicolas Philibert, the documentary was screened out of competition at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival and remains a defining example of his observational approach to the genre.
Early Career and Training
Born in 1951 in Nancy, France, Philibert pursued studies in philosophy at the University of Grenoble. His exposure to cinema began early through his father, a film lecturer. He entered the professional industry in 1970 as a trainee on René Allio’s Les Camisards. He continued working with Allio, serving as an assistant on Rude Journée pour la reine in 1973 and as an assistant director on the 1975 film Moi, Pierre Rivière, ayant égorgé ma mère, ma sœur et mon frère.
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Philibert’s directorial debut arrived in 1978 with His Master's Voice, a feature documentary co-directed with Gérard Mordillat. The film examined industrial leadership and labor unions through interviews with corporate executives. During the mid-1980s, he produced television content focused on adventure and mountain landscapes before shifting his professional attention toward feature-length documentaries intended for theatrical release.
Thematic Depth in Feature Documentaries
His filmography includes La Ville Louvre (1990), Le Pays des sourds (1992), and Un animal, des animaux (1995). He explored the psychiatric clinic of La Borde in La Moindre des choses (1996) and collaborated with students from the Théâtre national de Strasbourg for the 1998 experimental film Qui sait?. Later projects include Retour en Normandie (2007), which traced the legacy of Allio's past work, and the 2010 portrait of an orang-utang in Nénette. His 2013 work, La Maison de la radio, documented operations at the French Radio headquarters in Paris.
Professional Recognition
Philibert has received numerous honors for his contributions to cinema. He was named Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in 1995 and received the Knight of the National Order of Merit in 2002. His work on Être et avoir earned the Louis Delluc Prize and the European Film Award for Best Documentary in 2002, followed by a César Award for Best Editing in 2003. Internationally, his career has been the subject of over 120 retrospectives, including at the British Film Institute and the Museum of Modern Art.
Fast facts
- Born: 1951, Nancy, France
- Education: University of Grenoble
- Occupations: Director, screenwriter, cinematographer, actor, teacher, editor
- Louis Delluc Prize: 2002
- César Award for Best Editing: 2003
- Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres: 1995
- Knight of the National Order of Merit: 2002
Questions readers ask
What subjects has Nicolas Philibert explored in his documentaries?
He has covered diverse topics including industrial power dynamics, psychiatric care, village school life, the lives of animals in captivity, and the operations of the French national radio system.
What is Philibert’s professional background before directing?
He trained as a filmmaker under René Allio, serving as a trainee and assistant director on several French features during the 1970s.
Achievements
- César Award for Best Editing — 2003
- Knight of the National Order of Merit — 2002
- Worked as film director, screenwriter and cinematographer
