Morgan Simon

Morgan Simon (born 1987) is a French director, screenwriter and photographer born in the Paris suburbs.

Morgan Simon, French Institute of Athens, 2017

Life and career

Morgan Simon studied screenwriting at La Fémis in Paris.^[1] In 2016, his short film Try To Die Young was a César Award nominee.^[2]

A Taste of Ink, his first feature film, was developed at L’Atelier de la Cinéfondation during the 2015 Cannes Film Festival^[3],[4] as well as The Jerusalem International Film Lab, rubbing shoulders with László Nemes’s Son of Saul.^[5] A Taste of Ink premiered at the 64th San Sebastián Film Festival in the New Directors section and was awarded by a special mention of the jury.^[6] It received fifteen awards and was selected by more than fifty festivals, such as Rotterdam, Shanghai, Stockholm,^[7] Los Angeles,^[8] Zurich,^[9] Jerusalem. A Taste of Ink was released in France on January 25, 2017 with Kévin Azaïs, Monia Chokri and Nathan Willcocks as main actors.^[10][11]

In 2018, Simon took part in the Queer Palm jury at the 71st Cannes Film Festival rewarding Girl directed by Lukas Dhont.^[12] In 2019, his 35mm short film Ghost Pleasure was selected at the Directors' Fortnight during the 72nd Cannes Film Festival.^[13] In 2021, he directed We Shall Meet Again, a short film dealing with migration and narrated by the French writer Édouard Louis.^[14]

In 2024, Somewhere In Love, Simon's second feature film is released in France and Belgium. The movie depicts a fusional mother and son story with Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Félix Lefebvre and Lubna Azabal as main cast. Somewhere In Love was awarded the Fondation Barrière Cinema Prize 2024.^[15][16] For her performance in Somewhere In Love, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi was awarded a special mention of the jury Rampa at the 21^st Seville European Film Festival.^[17] In 2025, Somewhere In Love received the Best European Union Feature Film Prize at Queer Screen's Mardi Gras Film Festival of Sydney.^[18]

Filmography

Feature films

• 2017: A Taste of Ink (Compte tes blessures)
• 2024: Somewhere In Love (Une vie rêvée)

Short films

• 2011: A Long Sadness (Une longue tristesse)
• 2011: Goose
• 2012: American Football
• 2014: Try To Die Young (Essaie de mourir jeune)
• 2015: Wake The Dead (Réveiller les morts)
• 2019: Ghost Pleasure (Plaisir Fantôme)
• 2021: We Shall Meet Again (Nous nous reverrons)

Music videos

• 2017: This Loneliness Won’t Be The Death Of Me - Being As An Ocean^[19]
• 2018: Ces garçons-là - Radio Elvis^[20]
• 2022: Ma vie - Liv del Estal^[21]

Video games

• 2013: Beyond: Two Souls by David Cage - script editor^[22]

Main awards and nominations

• 2014: Screenplay Grand Jury Junior Prize for A Taste of Ink
• 2015: UniFrance Prize nomination for Try To Die Young
• 2016: César Award nomination of the best short film for Try To Die Young
• 2016: Special mention of the jury for A Taste of Ink at San Sebastián Film Festival
• 2024: Fondation Barrière Cinema Prize for Somewhere in Love
• 2025: Best EU Feature Film Prize at Queer Screen's Mardi Gras Film Festival of Sydney for Somewhere in Love