Simon Frenay

Trained at the Cours Florent he began his career as an actor notably appearing in films by Robert Guédiguian and the duo Olivier Ducastel Jacques Martineau while also working on international sets and in television He quickly shifted his focus behind the camera His first produced short film Youssou Malek was selected in around forty festivals worldwide and received several awards establishing a distinctive voice that is both intimate and political With Carpobrotus in which he also performs he continues this sensitive exploration of identity and desire He is currently developing If She Is Somewhere a project rooted in his Réunionese origins while also shooting a documentary dedicated to the reconstruction of young exiles who have crossed the Mediterranean At the crossroads of romanticism and reality his cinema explores queer narratives grounded in contemporary social and racial issues Echoing his artistic work he founded the association Sous le Même Ciel in 2020 a deeply committed initiative supporting exiled people with a strong focus on unaccompanied minors whose ontheground engagement profoundly nourishes his films