Oliver Laxe

Óliver Laxe Coro (Galician: [ˈlaʃɪ]; born 11 April 1982) is a French-born Spanish film director, screenwriter and actor of Galician ancestry. His feature directorial debut, You All Are Captains, premiered at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, where it received the FIPRESCI Prize in the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs. His second feature, Mimosas, was filmed in the Atlas Mountains and won the Nespresso Grand Prize in the Critic's Week section at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. His third feature, Fire Will Come, was selected for the Un Certain Regard section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, earning the Jury Prize. His fourth feature, Sirāt, premiered in Competition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and won the Jury Prize.

Óliver Laxe
Laxe in 2025
Born	Óliver Laxe Coro (1982-04-11) 11 April 1982 (age 43) Paris, France
Alma mater	Pompeu Fabra University
Occupation	Filmmaker
Years active	2006–present

Early life

Laxe was born in Paris to Galician emigrants. His parents met at Bataclan at a dance party for emigrants.^[1] Laxe's maternal family comes from Vilela, Navia de Suarna, Lugo.^[1] He has a brother, Felipe, who works as a film producer and often collaborates on his films.^[2][3] In 1988, at the age of six, he returned with his family to Galicia. After completing his secondary education in A Coruña, he moved to Barcelona where he studied filmmaking at the Pompeu Fabra University, before relocating to London where he filmed his first short Y las chimeneas decidieron escapar.

Career

Laxe at the Goya Awards in 2020.

His debut feature film, You All Are Captains, premiered in the Directors' Fortnight (Quinzaine des réalisateurs) section at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the FIPRESCI Prize.^[4]

His second feature, Mimosas, was filmed in the Atlas Mountains and screened in the Critics' Week section at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Nespresso Grand Prize.^[5][6] The project was developed through the TorinoFilmLab Interchange programme in 2011.^[7]

Returning to his native Galicia, he directed Fire Will Come, which premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and won the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize.^[8]

His fourth feature, Sirāt,^[4] premiered in Competition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and won the Jury Prize.^[9]

Personal life

Laxe was previously in a relationship with costume designer and frequent collaborator Nadia Acimi.^[10] He has been living in Navia de Suarna, Lugo since 2020.^[1][11] The family house, named Casa Quindós after his maternal grandmother, also functions as the headquarters of the Ser Asociation, which promotes cultural and environmentalist activities in rural Galicia.^[1][12]

Filmography

Feature films

Year	English Title	Original Title
2010	You All Are Captains	Todos vós sodes capitáns
2016	Mimosas
2019	Fire Will Come	O que arde
2025	Sirāt

Short Films

Year	Title
2006	Y las chimeneas decidieron escapar
2007	Suena la trompeta, ahora veo otra cara
2008	París #1

Other Credits

Year	Title	Notes
2010	Moussem les morts	Only actor
2015	The Sky Trembles and the Earth Is Afraid and the Two Eyes Are Not Brothers

Awards and nominations

Laxe with the Jury Prize at the 78th Cannes Film Festival.

Award	Year	Category	Film	Result	Ref.
Cairo International Film Festival	2016	Golden Pyramid	Mimosas	Won	[13]
Cannes Film Festival	2010	FIPRESCI Prize – Quinzaine des réalisateurs	You All Are Captains	Won	[14]
		Caméra d'Or		Nominated
	2016	Critics' Week Grand Prize	Mimosas	Won	[15]
	2019	Un Certain Regard Jury Prize	Fire Will Come	Won	[16]
	2025	Palme d'Or	Sirāt	Nominated	[17]
		Jury Prize		Won	[18]
Gaudí Awards	2020	Best European Film	Fire Will Come	Won	[19]
Goya Awards	2020	Best Director	Fire Will Come	Nominated	[20]
Hainan International Film Festival	2019	Special Jury Prize	Fire Will Come	Won	[21]
Lumière Awards	2017	Best French-Language Film	Mimosas	Nominated	[22]
Seville European Film Festival	2016	Grand Jury Award	Mimosas	Won	[23]
Taipei Film Festival	2017	Special Jury Prize	Mimosas	Won	[24]
Thessaloniki Film Festival	2019	Golden Alexander	Fire Will Come	Won	[25]