Philippe Diaz

PHILIPPE DIAZ

Writer, Director, Producer.

Biography:

Born in Paris, Philippe Diaz studied philosophy at the Sorbonne for 5 years. His main course of study was "Aesthetics," or "Philosophy of Art," directed by Olivier Revault d'Allonnes, and his second was "Ethics," or "Political Philosophy," directed by Robert Misrahi. His final thesis was entitled "The Status of the Image in Contemporary Society."

He has always been passionate about cinema as a means of expression and started shooting his own films at the age of 12. He began his career in the film industry professionally in 1980. A few years later, he founded his own production company while continuing his studies in philosophy, a subject he also taught at Orsay's University Technical Institute, located in Paris' suburb.

After writing, directing, and producing several short films, he fully embraced his role as a producer, believing that cinema could more effectively convince an audience than books or press articles.

He produced several 80s auteurs, including Juliet Berto, Tony Gatlif, Léos Carax, Robert Frank, Gérard Blain, and Nicolas Klotz. His films have won numerous festival awards.

He returned to writing and directing for "Nouvel Ordre Mondial (Quelque Part en Afrique)," aka "The Empire in Africa" (in the US), about the civil war in Sierra Leone, which was selected for the Cannes Film Festival.

Deeply at odds with how the French Minister of Culture managed filmmaking, he moved to the United States, where he founded a production and distribution company specializing in socio-political films. To date, Cinema Libre Studio has produced and distributed over 200 films.

He continued to write screenplays, books, and articles and directed documentaries and feature films that have won numerous selections and awards at international festivals. "The End of Poverty?" a book and documentary about the real causes of world poverty, was also selected for the Cannes Film Festival. His last film "I Am Gitmo," a fiction film about men kidnapped in the Middle East after the September 11 attacks and tortured in Guantanamo prison, also won several awards and was released in theatres in 2023.

AUTHOR :

• 2023 Jean Meslier, Curé, Athée et Anarchiste pour le 21(ème) siècle (Book) L’Harmattan

• 2023 Moi Meslier, Curé, Athée et Révolutionnaire (Screenplay)

• 2022 Ouvrier, Prends la Machine (Book + Screenplay)

• 2022 The Last Game (Screenplay)

• 2022 I Am Gitmo (Screenplay)

• 2021 Innersole (Screenplay)

• 2020 Reagan and Me (Screenplay)

• 2019 For Love of the Bomb (Screenplay)

• 2016 Confessions of an Economic Hitman (Screenplay)

• 2015 Phenom (Screenplay)

• 2014 Angola 1,2 &3 (Screenplay)

• 2013 L'Émir Abdelkader (Screenplay)

• 2013 N'Oublie pas de Vivre (Screenplay)

• 2012 La Liberté Picasso (Screenplay)

• 2011 The Last Days of Karl Marx (Screenplay)

• 2009 Now & Later (Screenplay)

• 2008 The End of Poverty? (Screenplay + Book)

• 2007 Che (Screenplay)

• 2006 The Empire in Africa (Screenplay)

• 2001 New World Order (Somewhere in Africa) (Screenplay)

• 2001 Refugees from Hunger (Screenplay)

• From 1973 to 1984 various short and medium-length films

DIRECTOR :

• 2023 K'LA After Dark by Philippe Diaz (TV)

• 2022 I Am Gitmo (Feature film)

• 2021 Innersole (Documentary)

• 2016 Phenom (Documentary)

• 2013 N'Oublie pas de Vivre (Documentary)

• 2009 Now & Later (Feature film)

• 2008 The End of Poverty (Documentary)

• 2008 Speaking Freely Volume 5: Hugo Chávez (TV)

• 2008 Speaking Freely Volume 4: Chalmers Johnson (TV)

• 2007 Speaking Freely Volume 3: Ray McGovern (TV)

• 2007 Speaking Freely Volume 2: Susan George (TV)

• 2007 Speaking Freely Volume 1: John Perkins (TV)

• 2006 The Empire in Africa (Documentary)

• 2001 New World Order (Somewhere in Africa) (Documentary)

• 2001 Hunger Refugees (Documentary)

• From 1973 to 1984 various short and medium-length films

PRODUCER :

• 2023 K'LA After Dark by Philippe Diaz (TV)

• 2022 I Am Gitmo by Philippe Diaz (Feature film)

• 2021 Innersole by Philippe Diaz (Documentary)

• 2020 Tell My Story by David Freid (Documentary)

• 2016 Phenom by Philippe Diaz (Documentary)

• 2013 N'Oublie pas de Vivre by Philippe Diaz (Documentary)

• 2013 The Emir Abdelkader by Charles Burnett (Feature film)

• 2009 Now & Later by Philippe Diaz (Feature film)

• 2008 The End of Poverty? by Philippe Diaz (Documentary)

• 2008 Speaking Freely Volume 5: Hugo Chávez by Philippe Diaz (TV)

• 2008 Speaking Freely Volume 4: Chalmers Johnson by Philippe Diaz (TV)

• 2007 Speaking Freely Volume 3: Ray McGovern by Philippe Diaz (TV)

• 2007 Speaking Freely Volume 2: Susan George by Philippe Diaz (TV)

• 2007 Speaking Freely Volume 1: John Perkins by Philippe Diaz (TV)

• 2006 TRE by Eric Byler (Feature film)

• 2006 The Empire in Africa by Philippe Diaz (Documentary)

• 2005 Conventioneers by Mora Stephens (Feature film)

• 2005 The Third Wish by Shelley Jensen (Feature film)

• 2004 Uncovered: The War on Iraq by Robert Greenwald (Documentary)

• 2001 Nouvel Ordre Mondial (Somewhere in Africa) by Philippe Diaz (Doc.)

• 2001 Réfugiés de la Faim by Philippe Diaz (Documentary)

• 2000 Heavy Metal 2000 by Michel Lemire and Michael Coldewey (Animation)

• 1997 St. Patrick's Day by Hope Perello (Feature film)

• 1991 The Man Inside by Bobby Roth (Feature film)

• 1990 La Nuit Bengali by Nicolas Klotz (Feature film)

• 1990 Le Cri du Lézard by Bertrand Theubet (Feature film)

• 1989 Candy Mountain by Robert Frank and Rudy Wurlitzer (Feature film)

• 1988 Eden Miseria by Christine Laurent (Feature film)

• 1988 Cayenne Palace by Alain Maline (Feature film)

• 1987 Pierre et Djemila by Gérard Blain (Feature film)

• 1987 Ville Étrangère by Didier Goldsmith (Feature film)

• 1986 Mauvais Sang by Léos Carax (Feature film)

• 1985 Rue Du Départ by Tony Gatlif (Feature film)

• 1984 Havre by Juliet Berto (Feature film)

• From 1973 to 1984 various short and medium-length films