Biography

Lilou Lemaire is a multi-award-winning French director and image-maker with over 25 years of experience. She is internationally represented by agent Hugo Hayat. Trained initially as a portrait photographer, she carries a refined sensibility for natural light, composition, and atmosphere into her documentaries. Her work explores the interplay between nature, identity, and the human condition through immersive, emotionally resonant storytelling. Lilou's films have been showcased globally on Netflix, France Televisions, Canal+, Al Jazeera. In 2024, she directed Horizon, the first wildlife series shot in Saudi Arabia in Dolby Vision and Atmos, with cinematography by Gavin Thurston (Planet Earth). Released on Netflix, the series received critical acclaim and earned Best Saudi Environmental Documentary at the 10th Saudi Film Festival. Driven by a deep commitment to biodiversity, social justice, and ethical filmmaking, Lilou has created standout documentaries including Shuklaphanta, the Other Wild Nepal ("Best Feature" Wildlife Conservation Film Festival ), The kingdom of Manaslu, After the Fire , and Tell the Future That We Are Coming!, which won the Bpi France Documentary Prize at Deauville Green Awards. She has also tackled underreported, sensitive topics through institutional collaborations, gaining rare access to elite environments. Her directed works include Women on Duty (filmed within Operation Barkhane in Mali), Mission Covid (inside a French military hospital during the pandemic), and G.A.P., a pioneering look at a police unit combating sexual violence in rural France. Looking ahead, Lilou is overseeing international productions between 2025 and 2026 across the Middle East, Europe, and South America-including an investigative environmental documentary and Sadok, the Mysterious Voice, a historical musical investigation.
- IMDb mini biography by: Lemaire