Sylvie Testud was born on January 17, 1971 in Lyon. Her parents separated when she was two years old. She spent her youth in the Lyon district of Croix-Rousse, raised by her mother, an accountant. In high school, she learned Chinese. Very early fascinated by the cinema, the young girl identifies in particular with the complexed teenager character embodied by Charlotte Gainsbourg in L'Effrontée. Having moved to Paris to study history, she soon embarked on acting by joining the free class at Cours Florent and then the Conservatory, where her teachers were Jacques Lassalle and Catherine Hiegel. She made her first screen appearance in 1994 in Couples et amants.
She decided to become an actress during her youth, after having admired actresses in films. She then took acting lessons in Lyon with the actor and director Christian Taponard. In 1989, she moved to Paris to study history, as well as drama lessons in free classes at Cours Florent, then at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Art for three years, with Jacques Lassalle and Catherine Hiegel for teachers.
In the early 1990s, she obtained her first small roles in the cinema, then in feature films such as The Story of the Boy Who Wanted to Be Kissed by Philippe Harel (1994), Le Plus Bel Age..., by Didier Haudepin (1995) or even Love, etc. by Marion Vernoux (1996).
In 1997, Sylvie Testud experienced her first great success at the cinema in Germany with the film Beyond Silence by Caroline Link, for which she learned German, the clarinet and sign language. She is rewarded as best actress by the German Film Prize (the equivalent of the César for best actress). In 1998, she played her first major role in French cinema and enjoyed great success in France with the role of Béa in Karnaval, the first feature film by Thomas Vincent, for which she was nominated for the César for best female hope and received the Michael Simon Prize. She then began an important acting career with a preference for auteur cinema.
Horror · Mystery
A darkness swirls at the center of a world-renowned dance company, one that will engulf the artistic director, an ambitious young dancer, and a grieving psychotherapist. Some will succumb to the nightmare. Others will finally wake up.
6.92018
Music · Drama
From the mean streets of the Belleville district of Paris to the dazzling limelight of New York's most famous concert halls, Edith Piaf's life was a constant battle to sing and survive, to live and love. Raised in her grandmother's brothel, Piaf was discovered in 1935 by nightclub owner Louis Leplee, who persuaded her to sing despite her extreme nervousness. Piaf became one of France's immortal icons, her voice one of the indelible signatures of the 20th century.
7.42007
Drama · History
A faithful retelling of the 1942 "Vel' d'Hiv Roundup" and the events surrounding it.
7.52010
Comedy · Fantasy
Stuck in the corridors of time, Godefroy de Montmirail and his faithful servant Jacquouille are projected to a time of profound political and social upheavals: the French Revolution... specifically, The Terror, time of great dangers, during which the descendants of Godefroy and Jacquouille had their castle and all their property confiscated by arrogant aristocrats, fleeing and lifes hanging by a thread.
4.22016
Comedy
Tamara, 15, complexed with her curves, decided its entry into second to get rid of the label of "big". To shut up the gossip, she made a bet with her best friend to go out with the first boy who pass the classroom door. No luck, the boy turns out to be Diego, the most handsome guy of high school. The bet is complicated for Tamara .... Between the dirty tricks of the mean girls of high school, a mother hen, boards "drag" his little sister, Tamara is a memorable year!
6.42016
Romance · Comedy
When she discovers a wedding planer's business card, Alexia instantly says, "YES" to Mathias unaware that it belongs to his mistress. The groom is now trapped between his bride, and his lover who in charge of his unwanted marriage.
6.12017
Comedy
A story about 11 girls living in Paris. Each of them has its own problems: career, love life, children. Every girl has their complexes and virtues. They always look elegant, hiding their inner feelings. Will they reach all the goals and overcome all their difficulties?
5.72014
Drama · History
Simone Veil's life story through the pivotal events of Twentieth Century. Her childhood, her political battles, her tragedies. An intimate and epic portrait of an extraordinary woman who eminently challenged and transformed her era defending a humanist message still keenly relevant today.
7.92022
Comedy
The Bouvier-Sauvages, a large aristocratic family, meet the much more modest Martin family when their children's wedding is announced. For the occasion, the future bride and groom offer their parents DNA tests, which will reveal their true origins. The results are totally unexpected and will make the effect of a bomb.
5.62024
Comedy
Tamara has been separated from Diego for two years. She finally leaves home to live the student adventure in Paris with his girlfriend Sam. In a galley apartment, they accept a cohabit with Wagner. Problem: Diego is part of the lot, and he is no more single.
6.42018
Horror · Mystery
A darkness swirls at the center of a world-renowned dance company, one that will engulf the artistic director, an ambitious young dancer, and a grieving psychotherapist. Some will succumb to the nightmare. Others will finally wake up.
6.92018
Music · Drama
From the mean streets of the Belleville district of Paris to the dazzling limelight of New York's most famous concert halls, Edith Piaf's life was a constant battle to sing and survive, to live and love. Raised in her grandmother's brothel, Piaf was discovered in 1935 by nightclub owner Louis Leplee, who persuaded her to sing despite her extreme nervousness. Piaf became one of France's immortal icons, her voice one of the indelible signatures of the 20th century.
7.42007
Drama · History
A faithful retelling of the 1942 "Vel' d'Hiv Roundup" and the events surrounding it.
7.52010
Comedy · Fantasy
Stuck in the corridors of time, Godefroy de Montmirail and his faithful servant Jacquouille are projected to a time of profound political and social upheavals: the French Revolution... specifically, The Terror, time of great dangers, during which the descendants of Godefroy and Jacquouille had their castle and all their property confiscated by arrogant aristocrats, fleeing and lifes hanging by a thread.
4.22016
Comedy
Tamara, 15, complexed with her curves, decided its entry into second to get rid of the label of "big". To shut up the gossip, she made a bet with her best friend to go out with the first boy who pass the classroom door. No luck, the boy turns out to be Diego, the most handsome guy of high school. The bet is complicated for Tamara .... Between the dirty tricks of the mean girls of high school, a mother hen, boards "drag" his little sister, Tamara is a memorable year!
6.42016
Comedy · Western
Fearless gunslinger, Lucky Luke, is ordered by the President to bring peace to Daisy Town.
4.52009
Romance · Comedy
When she discovers a wedding planer's business card, Alexia instantly says, "YES" to Mathias unaware that it belongs to his mistress. The groom is now trapped between his bride, and his lover who in charge of his unwanted marriage.
6.12017
Comedy
A story about 11 girls living in Paris. Each of them has its own problems: career, love life, children. Every girl has their complexes and virtues. They always look elegant, hiding their inner feelings. Will they reach all the goals and overcome all their difficulties?
5.72014
Drama · History
Simone Veil's life story through the pivotal events of Twentieth Century. Her childhood, her political battles, her tragedies. An intimate and epic portrait of an extraordinary woman who eminently challenged and transformed her era defending a humanist message still keenly relevant today.
7.92022
Comedy
The Bouvier-Sauvages, a large aristocratic family, meet the much more modest Martin family when their children's wedding is announced. For the occasion, the future bride and groom offer their parents DNA tests, which will reveal their true origins. The results are totally unexpected and will make the effect of a bomb.
5.62024
Comedy
Tamara has been separated from Diego for two years. She finally leaves home to live the student adventure in Paris with his girlfriend Sam. In a galley apartment, they accept a cohabit with Wagner. Problem: Diego is part of the lot, and he is no more single.
6.42018
Action · Crime
A French chef swears revenge after a violent attack on his daughter's family in Macau, during which her husband and her two children are murdered. To help him find the killers, he hires three local hit-men working for the mafia.
6.62009
Comedy
A news anchor, a comedian, an actress, and a soccer player with big egos have to travel across the globe to meet the Malawa tribe for a TV show.
4.52019
History · Drama
Paris, 1964. The Swiss sculptor and painter Alberto Giacometti, one of the most accomplished and respected artists of his generation, asks his friend, the American writer James Lord, to sit for a portrait, assuring him that it will take no longer than two or three hours, an afternoon at the most.
6.02017
Comedy
Malo and Stéphane are two students who are kind of losers and have just started high school. Their plan to become popular: to host a German exchange student with a lot of style. Too bad for Malo, who gets stuck with a Goth who will make his life hell.
5.42016
Comedy · Drama
Amélie, a young Belgian woman, having spent her childhood in Japan, decides to return to live there and tries to integrate in the Japanese society. She is determined to be a "real Japanese" before her year contract runs out, though it precisely this determination that is incompatable with Japanese humility. Though she is hired for a choice position as a translator at an import/export firm, her inability to understand Japanese cultural norms results in increasingly humiliating demotions. Though Amelie secretly adulates her, her immediate supervisor takes sadistic pleasure in belittling her all along. She finally manages to break Amelie's will by making her the bathroom attendant, and is delighted when Amelie tells her the she will not renew her contract. Amelie realizes that she is finally a real Japanese when she enters the company president's office "with fear and trembling," which could only be possible because her determination was broken by Miss Fubuki's systematic torture.
6.52003
Comedy · Romance
Max is 6 years old. She lives with her dad Toni, a small time crook with a golden heart. For Xmas, Max offers him Rose, a call-girl found on the street whom she’s very fond of. Despite the complicated situation, Toni’s gonna have a hard time refusing her daughter’s «gift» and must coexist with Rose.
5.82013
Comedy
This is the story of a guy who goes too fast and a big guy who is too slow. Foster meets Taupin. All this would be trivial if one of them had a scary scenario, the scenario of their lives and their deaths. Just open the pages and shake.
4.22019
Drama · Action
April 1988, Ouvéa Island, New Caledonia. 30 gendarmes are taken hostage by a group of Kanak freedom fighters. 300 soldiers are sent from France to re-establish order. 2 men confront each other: Philippe Legorjus, chief of the terrorist squad, and Alphonse Dianou, head of the kidnappers. Through their shared values, they will attempt to make discussion triumph. But, in the middle of a presidential election, when the stakes are political, order isn't always dictated by morality. A violent and troubling epic that marks the return of Mathieu Kassovitz in front and behind the camera.
6.72011
Comedy · Sci-Fi
A female lawyer travels back in time and crosses paths with other women in history who fought for women's rights.
5.92021
Drama · Comedy
The Hamburg friends Walter, Ricco and Floyd take each day as it comes between the estates of tower blocks and fast food restaurants. All three are in their early twenties and are dreaming of another life when Floyd suddenly takes a job on a freighter going to Singapore.
7.61999
Comedy
Springtime in the French vineyards of Champagne. Patrick has gathered his oldest friends for his bachelor party. The trouble is, everyone hates his future wife. This could thus become one hellish weekend in gourmet paradise.
5.22022
Drama
In order to escape her isolation, wheelchair-bound Christine makes a life changing journey to Lourdes, the iconic site of pilgrimage in the Pyrenees Mountains.
6.62009
Comedy · Drama
Since his sensational arrival at the head of the 20 Hours, Cédric Saint Guérande, known as "CSG" is THE favorite presenter of the French. His insolent audiences stoke the jealousy even within La Grande Chaîne which he is the undisputed star. His thirst for power is limitless, which displeases the new president of the chain. The war is declared between the two men for the great pleasure of CSG. Power games, networking, manipulations and low shots: the fight will be merciless, and the outcome necessarily spectacular. Welcome to the media circus games.
4.62019
Comedy · Drama
When the fun loving Marie sets her eyes on brooding comic book artist Paul, it sets off the kind of romantic sparks that quickly culminate in the bedroom. But the next morning brings its share of surprises as Marie crawls out of bed to discover her life flash-forwarded fifteen years down the road: Not only has she been married to Paul all this time, but she’s now the mother of a little boy the head of a powerful multinational investment firm and the proprietor of a fabulous apartment overlooking the Eiffel Tower. Quickly Marie discovers that all her achievements have not brought happiness.
6.22012
Drama · Music
Beyond Silence is about a family and a young girl’s coming of age story. This German film looks into the lives of the deaf and at a story about the love for music. A girl who has always had to translate speech into sign language for her deaf parents yet when her love for playing music grows strong she must decide to continue doing something she cannot share with her parents.
6.91996
Drama · History
Born in 1975, Marinette Pichon was a born soccer player. Raised by a courageous mother who had to deal with an abusive husband, she overcame difficulties and developed unwavering determination. While juggling odd jobs and her sporting career, she was selected for the French national team and then spotted by a major American club. Marinette then moved to the United States with her mother, pursuing her dream of becoming the best player in the world.
6.62023
Drama · Thriller
When Ilan Halimi is kidnapped for ransom because Jewish and supposedly rich, his family and the police start a race against time to save him from the tortures of the "gang of barbarians".
6.62014
Crime · Drama
Beneath her eccentric appearance, Captain Marleau is a formidable detective. Her Sherlock Holmes deerstalker cap, her character, her unusual appearance, her humor, her unpredictable behavior--Captain Marleau is not your average gendarme. She never rushes an investigation; she becomes the investigation and relentlessly pursues the suspects.
6.12015
Drama · War & Politics
Known as The Last Knight for his bravery and battle skills, the great European emperor Maximilian and his story is as spectacular as it is familiar: It is the story of a prince who must learn to be king. But above all, it is the struggle of a son who steps out of his father's shadow with the help of a most unexpected ally: Marie de Bourgogne.
Crime · Drama
A mysterious and mortally contagious virus threatens the population of Annecy, in southeastern France. A desperate race against the clock envelops to find out where the virus came from and keep it from becoming an epidemic.
6.72020
Documentary
Drama
Pauline regains her freedom when her husband dies, but her silence about the event places her under suspicion.
Drama · Crime
Charts the descent into hell of 16-year-old Lea, a self-assured teenager surrounded by a loving family, who comes to fall under the influence of a shady older man, and the attempts of her parents to pry her away from him.
5.62021
Drama
7.52019
Crime · Mystery
5.32024
Comedy · Crime
Caroline and François, two siblings from a police family, investigate crime together.
7.32023
Talk
5.32008
On n'est pas couché was a French talk show broadcast on France 2 on Saturdays at 11 p.m., hosted by Laurent Ruquier assisted by various columnists.
5.12006
Talk
Every day live on FRANCE 5, Anne-Élisabeth Lemoine and her team receive those who make the news. In the second part, the program welcomes, around a meal prepared by a qualified chef, artists in promotion.
6.12009
Comedy · Crime
3.52024
Talk
In each episode, 3 celebrities who have never met go on a 24-hour break in the countryside. A moment out of time to meet and talk about love, friendship, life with its obstacles and surprises.
8.52012
Talk · Documentary
6.22012
Drama · Comedy
A small French village deals with a culture clash after the town mayor sells the whole town to Bavarian Automobile Design Company and the company moves in with all their 200 employees.
8.02018
Talk
In each episode, 3 celebrities who have never met go on a 24-hour break in the countryside. A moment out of time to meet and talk about love, friendship, life with its obstacles and surprises.
9.02022
Comedy
In each episode, two teams of 2 celebrities challenge each other in a game of Kemps. The goal is simple: assemble 4 identical cards and signal it to your partner without being noticed by the other team!
2019
2022
Talk · Documentary
Drama · Mystery
After three elderly men are bitten by spiders, everyone assumes that their deaths are tragic accidents. But at police headquarters in Paris, Inspector Adamsberg begins to suspect that the case is far more complex than first appears.