The Honorary President
François Berléand

François Berléand, star of Family is Family (Ch’tite famille) and School of Life (École buissonnière) is the Honorary President of the Liège International Comedy Film Festival. It’s our way of welcoming him into our family. It’s also our way of recognising his illustrious career, which is both rich and eclectic; full of humour, yet serious; light-hearted, yet full of depth. Above all, this is a way of thanking him for his kindness, his humility, his involvement, and his elegance, all of which gave the 2021 FIFCL a new aura.

He is a true Ambassador of Laughter, who touches people’s hearts and minds. The Honorary President of the FIFCL also reminds us, just by being there, how important it is to venture further and further outside one’s comfort zone.

The Honorary President, François Berléand

how much better life is when we are bold, when we amaze, when we innovate, when we take risks, and when we dream bigger

François Berléand

François Berléand’s career began in 1979, with an appearance in Alain Cavalier’s “Martin et Léa”. He then had several small roles as an actor, mainly in successful comedies (“On n’est pas des anges… elles non plus” and “Les Hommes préfèrent les grosses” (both 1981), as well as “Marche à l’ombre” (1984)), up until his decisive meeting with director Pierre Jolivet.

The two men worked together on such films as “Le Complexe du kangourou ” (1986), “À l’heure où les grands fauves vont boire” (1993), “Filles uniques”(2003), “Je crois que je l’aime” (2006) and most notably “Ma petite entreprise” (1999). This comedy won François Berléand the César for the Best Supporting Role for his performance as the sleazy insurance agent.

Before he turned more to popular cinema, and started to add a pinch of humour to his generally grumpy, even detestable characters, François Berléand had worked with renowned directors: Louis Malle (“Au revoir les enfants”, “Milou en mai”), Bruno Nuytten (“Camille Claudel”), Bertrand Tavernier (“L’Appât”, “Capitaine Conan”), Jacques Audiard (“Un héros très discret”), Benoît Jacquot (“Le Septième ciel”, “L’Ecole de la chair”), Catherine Breillat (“Romance”), Claude Berri (“La Débandade”), Nicole Garcia (“Place Vendôme”) and, more recently, Guillaume Canet (“Narco ”, “Mon idole ”, “Ne le dis à personne”) and Claude Chabrol (“L’ivresse du pouvoir”, “La Fille coupée en deux ”). He saw Sylvie Testud’s debut behind the camera, and Olivia Ruiz’s on the big screen. He lent his voice to The Lorax.

As of right now, François Berléand essentially embodies what the Festival is all