Olivier Loustau

After obtaining a Master’s degree in Communication from CELSA, Olivier Loustau studied acting with Vera Gregh and Blanche Salant at the Pygmalion Studio, and quickly began working in film and television. In the fall of 1992, driven by a long-standing dream of becoming a journalist, he traveled to besieged Sarajevo on a freelance reporting assignment. His account was later published in La Règle du Jeu.

He went on to act in films by Bertrand Tavernier, Thomas Gilou, Dominique Farrugia, Nicolas Boukhrief, Cédric Anger, and Nicole Garcia, but above all, became one of Abdellatif Kechiche’s frequent collaborators, appearing in La Faute à Voltaire, L’Esquive, La Graine et le Mulet, and Vénus Noire.

At the same time, he enrolled at the European Conservatory of Audiovisual Writing, followed by the Screenwriting Workshop at La Fémis. He contributed to several screenplays, including Capone, a film for Arte directed by Jean-Marc Brondolo and awarded at the FIPA in Biarritz; Scalp, an 8×52′ series about the stock market for Canal+ directed by Xavier Durringer and Jean-Marc Brondolo; Quand la ville mord by Dominique Cabrera for France 2 / Arte; and Félicité by Alain Gomis, which won the Silver Bear at the 2018 Berlin Film Festival. Today, he divides his time between acting and screenwriting.

After directing his first short film, C.D.D., Loustau made Face à la mer, a medium-length film for Arte, produced by Patrick Grandperret.

He then directed his first feature film, La Fille du Patron, co-produced by Patrick Grandperret, Julie Gayet, and Lisa Azuelos, in which he also plays the lead opposite Christa Théret. Released in January 2016, the film received strong critical acclaim and won several awards at the Cabourg Film Festival, the Mons International Love Film Festival, the Bucharest IFF, and the Carbonia Film Festival.

Since then, he has continued acting in feature films by Arnaud des Pallières, Thierry Klifa, Mia Engberg, Nadav Lapid, and José Alcala. He is currently preparing his second film, Tir Ami, developed as part of the Groupe Ouest Annual Selection.