Meet Alix Bénézech, Jury of the 12th edition of the Festival du Film Merveilleux

The job of an actress is often more difficult than that of an actor. This statement refers to how few roles there are in the film industry for women, who, especially based on age and beauty, are pigeonholed into a few roles to choose from: mothers or daughters. For men, it is easier; one only needs to have a minimum knowledge of the history of the seventh art to know this. This is why an actress who has managed to carve out a space for herself in the industry is obviously deserving. Alix Bénézech, one of our jurors, is no exception. She is an actress, distinguished both with intimate films such as Le Quepa sur La Vilni directed by Yann le Quellec and En Attendant Violette directed by Warren Dupuy and Matthieu Maury, and in blockbusters and big films such as Mission Impossible Fallout directed by Christopher McQuarrie or BIS directed by Dominique Farrugia. This year she won an award for Best Actress for her interpretation of the 3 female leads in the We Are directed by Greg Sankara at Indie Short Fest IMDb in Los Angeles. 

Early in her career, after brilliant studies, she validated a Master’s degree in Modern Literature on Marcel Proust with a Très Bien mention. She’s now member of Les Amis de Marcel Proust, she writes for the Bulletin and does public readings, notably with Didier Sandre Sociétaire of the Comédie Française. 

To understand a personality like Alix Bénézech, who has acted so much, one must discover her film co-directed with Jean-Pierre Delépine. Que justice soit nôtre is about domestic violence and female solidarity. Although it is co-directed, the audiovisual product clearly has a woman’s take on the story. In fact, as much as a good screenwriter can write, apply testimonies to writing, a female experience behind the camera is absolutely essential.

Alix Bénézech‘s acting career has, like many of her colleagues, two paths, film and television. Yet, unlike many others, our juror manages two types of approaches even in TV shows. Alix Bénézech has in fact acted in both small productions and some big ones such as Emily in Paris or Les Mystères de la Chorale directed by Emmanuelle Dubergey (it’s released on TV this  September 24th on France 3 prime time). She also plays Marilyn Monroe in a documentary Marilyn et Les Loups that will be released on France 2 September 24th. This film is very important as it talks about the predator in the industry, Marilyn was the first one to talk about it. 

This dual aspect denotes the ability to be able to move in different types of productions, to know very well the medium of expression both in front of the camera and behind it.

Continuing to talk about television, Alix Bénézech is best known for two projects, Alice in Paris and Nina. The former consists of 16 episodes and aired from 2017 to 2022. The series is about Alice, a young woman living in Paris. The show is currently available on Prime Video and Hulu, so you just have to find out. The second project, on the other hand, Nina, involved our juror in as many as 58 episodes because she was part of a regular ensemble cast. Alix is the nurse Dorothée Ariès, she evolved during the episodes from an innocent girl to a courageous woman who finds a way to take revenge on her abuser, the director of the hospital. The serie is now one of the biggest success on Netflix and Salto. 

Alix Bénézech has also already been a juror, notably for the Temps Presse Film Festival and the Plurielles Film Festival, The 48h Film Festival France and International, and she’s the godmother of Castillonnès Film Festival this year. At this occasion, the public discovered and acclaimed two features that will be released this year in which Alix plays the female lead, Tom et Luce directed by Paule Muxel and Puisque Nous Mourrons directed by Alexis Piguel. 

As we mentioned in the previous lines, another aspect of our juror’s career is certainly related to theater. She began her career at Théâtre 14 with the role of Christine Daaé in Le Fantôme de L’Opéra directed by Henri Lazarini, where she starred alongside Benoit Solès, and the role of Lucile in Les Serments Indiscrets de Marivaux directed by Anne-Marie Lazarini at Théâtre Artistic. She will return to the stage in 2019 to play the role of the young prima in Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s Les Rivaux, where she will act alongside Catherine Salviat, an honorary member of the Comédie Française. This year she is Catarina, the lead role in La Mégère Apprivoisée directed by Frédérique Lazarini. Her roles in both theater and film are critically acclaimed and considered excellent, even when Alix played small roles. It is a great honor for the festival to be able to boast this jury and Alix Bénézech could not fail to be among us.

You can follow Alix online : Website – Twitter – Instagram

Visit Alix Jury member page