Biografia
Nurturing his budding passion at an early age, Philippe Guez started a movie club in his school, and later created one in his hometown, in the suburbs of Paris. Evenings would see him settle in to watch every genre of film from around the globe. During holidays, he would sneak onto movie sets or even work as an extra, so he could learn what went on behind the camera. In 1976, he entered a top film school, l' E.S.E.C, paving his way through by assisting a commercial photographer, making professional casting photos and portfolios for aspiring actors and artists.
Upon graduating in 1979, he found work with various film companies as a First Assistant Director. His work included about fifteen feature films, a variety of television dramas, music videos, and a few high-end commercials.
In 1985, he was able to apply his on-set knowledge and cost saving skills at Sara Films, where he was appointed in-house producer/line producer by Alain Sarde and where he created and ran a new section dedicated to first time directors.
In the 90s, as an independent producer and founder of Septième Productions, Philippe Guez supervised "Rendez-Vous au Tas de Sable" by Didier Grousset, "Périgord Noir" by Nicolas Ribowski, "The Liars" (Les Menteurs) by Elie Chouraqui, shot in Cape Town, South Africa, "Day of Atonement" (Le Grand Pardon II) by Alexandre Arcady, entirely shot in Miami, staring Christopher Walken, Jill Clayburgh and Jennifer Beals.
Thanks to these last experiences abroad, he decided to collaborate on movies intended for the international market, and supervised or co-produced "Zentropa" (Europa) directed by Lars von Trier in 1991 (Jury's Prize at the Cannes Film Festival), with Jean-Marc Barr and Barbara Sukowa. "Laps of Memory" (Mémoire Traquée) directed by Patrick Dewolf in 1992, adapted from Robert Cormier's novel (I am the Cheese) filmed in Canada with John Hurt. "Innocent Lies" (Péchés Mortels), in 1994, a film inspired by Agatha Christie's novel Toward Zero, starring Stephen Dorff shot in Belle-île-en-Mer and at the Twickenham Film Studio, near London. "Cousin Bette" (La Cousine Bette), directed by Des Mac Anuff, based on the novel by Honoré de Balzac, starring Jessica Lange and Elizabeth Shue, released by Fox Searchlight. "The Luzhin Defense" (La Defense Loujine), the screen adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov's novel, directed by Marleen Gorris, with John Turturro and Emily Watson in the lead roles. "Hijack Stories" directed by Oliver Schmitz, shot in Soweto, in South Africa, which earned the Official "Un Certain Regard" Selection at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. "Angel of Death" (Semana Santa), based on the novel by David Hewson, directed in 2002 by Pepe Danquart, with Mira Sorvino and Olivier Martinez.
Then feeling that the European co-production treaties were artistically too restraining, he restructured his production company in 2003 to form Evidence Films which focused on the French market and produced "Nabila's Letter" (La Lettre de Nabila) a short feature for Amnesty International, based on a novella by Marc Levy, France's most read living author worldwide. "London mon Amour" (Mes Amis, Mes Amours), a romantic comedy co-written by Marc Levy and himself, which he also co-produced with Dominique Farrugia. The film was released by Pathé in France and in the U.K during summer 2008 and enjoyed great success.
Continuing his interest in writing, Philippe Guez wrote and directed "Marianne" as part of a series of shorts against discrimination, which was screened in major film festivals and aired for months on French prime-time television.
Since 2011, he has worked under Peedjee Films, his new production and all encompassing film-consulting company. With this twofold focus, were developed: "For A Woman" (Pour Une Femme) by Diane Kurys, a period film starring Benoit Magimel and Mélanie Thierry, released by Europa Corp in France and distributed in the US by Film Movement in 2014. "Les Morues", by French actress/writer/director Sylvie Testud based on the book by Audrey Lecoq. Although the film was postponed, it inspired Sylvie Testud to write her latest novel "C'est le Métier qui Rentre", adapted for the big screen in shot 2015.
Philippe Guez own the rights of the novel "My Life as a Whale ", by American author Dyan Sheldon, adapted in French, and currently entitled "La Sauce était Presque Parfaite" (The Sauce was almost Perfect), a hectic comedy in development, about a food-loving literary agent living in Paris, who is wrongly mistaken for a serial killer by the police.
After the production of "Dog" (2017), "Bluebird in my Head", & "Budapest "(2018), Sweatheart" (Mon Bébé-, with Sandrine Kiberlain, 2019) teaming with Labyrinthe and Julien Madon, Philippe Guez has supervised the production of numerous shows for Netflix, "La Terre et Le Sang" (Hearth and Blood in 2019,) "Sentinelle" with Olga Kurylenko, (in 2020) and, released in September 2021, "Ganglands" ("Braqueurs") by Julien Leclercq, with Sami Bouajila, ranked in the top 3 of Netflix Originals series after five days only.
In 2022, Philippe Guez supervised the major production of "Notre Dame, la Part du Feu" a TV mini serie of 6 episodes, for Netflix, entitled "Notre Dame, la part du Feu" with Roschdy Zem, "Ganglands" season 2 (Braqueurs saison 2), and « BRI » to be broadcast on Canal Plus, another TV mini serie of 8 episodes. Now in preparation, a feature film " Funny Birds" from writers / directors Hanna Ledoul and Marco La Via, with Andrea Risborough and Catherine Deneuve, to be shot in English and in soft preparation Julien Leclerc next feature film remake project entitled "Le Salaire de la Peur" (The Wages of Fear).
Recently, Philippe Guez founded Real Films a production company, based in Brussels and help coproduce feature films and series, in partnership with Cheyenne Federation, a major player in France and abroad, Philippe Guez has acquired together with Cheyenne Federation, the rights to a novel entitled "Danser au Bord de l'Abime" by Grégoire Delacourt, published by JC Lattès, in casting, with a shooting planned for 2023.
At fifty five years of age, Philippe Guez has 25 years of experience in his field and has worked in various countries such as: USA, Canada, United-Kingdom, South Africa, Cameroon, French-West Indies, Spain, Denmark, Czech Republic, Morocco, and Belgium.
