Virgil Vernier

Virgil Vernier is an actor and director born in Paris in 1976. After obtaining a Master’s degree in Philosophy, he spent two years studying at the School of Fine Arts in Paris where he met Christian Boltanski who mentored him as he made his first videos. In 2007, he directed 2005 Chronicles about the life and dreams of five people born in 1980. He co-directed Commissariat with Ilan Klipper in 2010. In 2009, his short film Thermidor was selected at the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes. That same year, his feature-length documentary Autoproduction, following the shooting of a film in Belleville, was presented at the Cinéma du Réel in Paris. The following year at Cannes, his short Pandore, about the entrance to a nightclub, was screened as part of the ACID selection. Whilst continuing to make numerous short movies (Orléans, Andorre, Vega, Iron Maiden), Vernier directed his first feature-length drama Mercuriales in 2014. His film Sophia Antipolis was screened as part of the Cineasti del Presente selection at the 2018 Locarno festival. In 2023, his short film Kindertotenlieder was nominated for a César award for best documentary short.