Hafsia Herzi: “I learned to live with little, work never scared me”

Without bragging, with exemplary determination, she has established herself as one of the essential talents of French cinema. In twenty years of career, she has won two Césars and directed three feature films, all selected at Cannes. In the running for the Palme d’Or in 2025 with La Petite Dernièreshe returned as an actress with two films.

Réaliser 

“I’ve dreamed of going behind the camera since I was little. I love filming people, and directing gives me a feeling of immense freedom. It’s a world under pressure, in which I had to learn to assert myself and make my voice heard as a woman. Thus, I happened to reject misogynistic technicians. On set, I consider myself a bit like a sports coach: I am there to encourage and support my actors. I am so happy to occupy this place that I strive to instill positive energy all around me. My shoots are both demanding and joyful. My next film? The adaptation of In the ogre’s gardenby Leïla Slimani. But for now, I’m giving myself a little respite…

Cannes 2025 

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“What pride! Being selected in competition with La Petite Dernière represented something exceptional for me. I have long dreamed of the Cannes Film Festival in front of my television, so finding myself in this place seemed a little unreal. Seeing Nadia Melliti (above) win the Best Actress Award for her very first film role also gave me immense joy. I am convinced that this actress will accomplish great things: she is made for that. As for me, I have a real competitive temperament, so I hope one day to win a Palme d’Or. But Thierry Frémaux, the general delegate of the festival, reassured me by telling me that I had time! (Laughs.)”

Filmography

“I don’t do this job for the money. I grew up in a modest environment, in the northern districts of Marseille, and I learned to live with little. Naturally discreet and tenacious, I did not particularly seek to shine, and work never frightened me. From the beginning, I favored films that allowed me to learn and grow. I understood that this was how I could sustain myself, even if it meant declining major productions. I also quickly dismissed the roles of terrorist or thief that were offered to me after The Seed and the Muleby Abdellatif Kechiche… By dignity. I was born in France and I refuse to fuel any form of racism by validating negative clichés. Today, I choose a role if I feel that a real human connection can be created with the director. Otherwise, I prefer to pass my turn.”

Isabelle Huppert

“She is a woman and an actress for whom I have great admiration. We have toured together several times, for example in The Prisoner of Bordeauxby Patricia Mazuy, presented at the Quinzaine des cinéastes in 2024. Isabelle Huppert is among the major figures who have counted in my career, just like Hiam Abbass. Both showed great kindness and gave me valuable advice. It is essential, when starting out in this profession, to be able to rely on such models.”

3 films, 3 Sélections

“Presenting my first film, You deserve a loveat Critics’ Week in 2019, then Good Mother à A certain look in 2021 – where he received the Ensemble prize –, before seeing the third, La Petite Dernièrejoin the official competition in 2025… All this was an incredible recognition. These selections also have the effect of facilitating the release of films: being in Cannes can really change their destiny. Where should I store my cinema? As I write my screenplays alone and develop fairly simple stories, I consider that I practice arthouse cinema. But contrary to what one might think, simplicity is the most complicated thing! To do this, I surround myself with a tight team. In that, I can’t imagine myself at the helm of a Marvel-type superhero film. (Laughs.)”

On the red carpet

“It’s an exercise that I enjoy a lot. The first year at Cannes, I was so tense that a person from the film crew who was with me kept repeating to me: “Turn on yourself!†, while a photographer shouted: “Rachida!†, convinced that I was Rachida Brakni. Looking at the photos of my debut, you can see how paralyzed I was. I have always loved wearing princess dresses, even if I realize today that they don’t always flatter me… If I am now more relaxed on the red carpet, I continue to watch certain details: we are still quickly judged and criticized. Looking back at these images, I also tell myself that it’s time for me to change my hairstyle. This year, I’m stopping with loose hair! »

Rocky et moi

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“It’s very rare that I ask someone to take a photo with me, but when I found myself at lunch with Sylvester Stallone, I couldn’t resist. I discovered cinema through his films, on television, and, in a certain way, he deeply inspired me: he directed Rocky when no one believed it. I tried to strike up a conversation with him despite my hesitant English. He was very funny and took the time to encourage me. As for Hollywood, I shot three films there and I found it fascinating to observe the way in which cinema is made there. On one of the shoots, there was someone whose sole mission was to bring water… We call it a…water man†Â! I would love to repeat the experience, to go back there with my family, but for that, I would have to overcome my phobia of flying. I’m far from it…

My actor friends

“I don’t like the word “circle†, which evokes something closed in on itself. But my gang remains open. In this photo, we see the actors of You deserve a lovesome of whom are close friends. This first film, made with 1,000 euros, was an extraordinary adventure: we were the happiest in the world.”

Feet of élus…

“This photo of the climb of the steps, in 2011, for The Apollonides: memories of the brotheldirected by Bertrand Bonello, reminds me of an image from the César Revelations evening in 2008. It’s quite cruel to note that out of the thirty or so actors present, only a handful – including me – stood out from the crowd. This is why I repeat to young actors and actresses not to wait to be desired by a director, not to stop themselves from pursuing other passions if they have them: writing, drawing, playing sports… Above all, we must not give up on what nourishes us. Because the hardest part is waiting in front of your phone. And then it’s not always the best who work: this job is based on a fragile balance between luck, choices (or even, sometimes, non-choices) and encounters. Each actor, each actress traces a unique trajectory. It is therefore useless to envy or imitate that of others.

Cannes 2026

“I have come to present two films: Night storiesby Léa Mysius, with Bastien Bouillon, and A few words of loveby Rudi Rosenberg, with Nour Salam. I am happy for them. We often talk about sisterhood between actresses, but there is also a very strong solidarity between young directors. A bit like mothers among themselves: we recognize each other, we understand each other, we know that it’s not always obvious. One of the advantages of being in Cannes as an actress is that I will enjoy it more. Last year, I was in such demand that I arrived at the parties just as they were ending!”