Frédéric Auburtin (born 4 June 1962) is a French director, writer, actor and producer.

Life and career

Frédéric Auburtin was born and raised in Marseille, France, where he studied music (piano, drums) and literature before transitioning to the film industry in the early 80s. He made his debut as an

assistant director The role of an assistant director (AD) on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have ...

for the film ''Rouge midi'', which was directed by

Robert Guédiguian Robert Jules Guédiguian (; born 3 December 1953) is a French film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. Most of his films star Ariane Ascaride and Jean-Pierre Darroussin. Life and career Guédiguian is the son of a German mother and an Arm ...

. In the 80s and 90s he worked as an assistant director with several directors for various movies, including

Maurice Pialat Maurice Pialat (; 31 August 1925 – 11 January 2003) was a French film director, screenwriter and actor known for the rigorous and unsentimental style of his films. His work is often described as " realist",

('' Under the Sun of Satan''),

Luigi Comencini Luigi Comencini (; 8 June 1916 – 6 April 2007) was an Italian film director. Together with Dino Risi, Ettore Scola, and Mario Monicelli, he was considered among the masters of the "commedia all'italiana" genre. His daughters Cristina Comencin ...

(''

La Bohème ''La bohème'' ( , ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions '':wikt:quadro, quadri'', ''wikt:tableau, tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto b ...

''), Richard Heffron ('' La Révolution française''), Bertrand Blier (''Merci la vie''),

Jean-Jacques Annaud Jean-Jacques Annaud (; born 1 October 1943) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer. He directed ''Quest for Fire (film), Quest for Fire'' (1981), ''The Name of the Rose (film), The Name of the Rose'' (1986), ''The Bear (1988 film), ...

('' The Lover''),

Claude Berri Claude Berri (; 1 July 1934 – 12 January 2009) was a French film director, writer, producer, actor and distributor. Early life Born Claude Beri Langmann in Paris, Berri was the son of Jewish immigrant parents. His mother, Beila (née Bercu), ...

('' Germinal'' and ''

Lucie Aubrac Lucie Samuel (29 June 1912 – 14 March 2007), born Bernard and known as Lucie Aubrac (), was a member of the French Resistance in World War II. A history teacher by occupation, she earned a history ''agrégation'' in 1938, a highly uncommon achi ...

''),

Jean-Paul Rappeneau Jean-Paul Rappeneau (; born 8 April 1932) is a French film director and screenwriter. Career He started out in film as an assistant and screenwriter collaborating with Louis Malle on ''Zazie dans le métro'' in 1960 and ''Vie privée'' in 1961. ...

('' The Horseman on the Roof'') and Randall Wallace ('' The Man in the Iron Mask''). In 1999, he debuted as a director, co-directing with Gérard Depardieu '' The Bridge'' (''Un pont entre deux rives''), for which he also composed the soundtrack. During the 2000s he kept directing mostly for television, but also directed movies, including '' San-Antonio'' (2004) and ''Envoyés très spéciaux (2009)''. In 2006, he co-directed (again with Depardieu) the segment "Quartier Latin", written and starred by

Gena Rowlands Virginia Cathryn "Gena" Rowlands (; June 19, 1930 – August 14, 2024) was an American actress, whose career in film, stage, and television spanned nearly seven decades. She was a four-time Emmy, Emmy Award and two-time Golden Globe winner, and ...

with

Ben Gazzara Biagio Anthony "Ben" Gazzara (August 28, 1930 – February 3, 2012) was an American actor and director of film, stage, and television. He received numerous accolades including a Primetime Emmy Award and a Drama Desk Award, in addition to nomina ...

and Gérard Depardieu, in the anthology film ''

Paris, je t'aime ''Paris, je t'aime'' (; ) is a 2006 anthology film starring an ensemble cast of actors of various nationalities. The two-hour film consists of eighteen short films set in different '' arrondissements'' (districts). The 22 directors include Guri ...

''. In 2014, he became widely known for directing the infamous movie '' United Passions''. The film recounts the origins of the world-governing body of association football,

Fédération Internationale de Football Association The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...

, and was ninety-percent funded by them. Released in North America at the peak of the scandals of the

2015 FIFA corruption case In 2015, United States federal prosecutors disclosed cases of corruption by officials and associates connected with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the governing body of association football, futsal and beach so ...

, the film grossed very badly in the box-office (a mere $918 in its opening weekend) and received overwhelming dislike from critics around the world. It's now considered one of the worst movies ever made and all the actors and Auburtin himself considered the film a "disaster".

Filmography

Assistant Director

* '' Rouge midi'' (1985) ''(third assistant director)'' * '' Les Fugitifs'' (1986) ''(third assistant director)'' * '' Under the Sun of Satan'' (1987) ''(second assistant director)'' * ''

'' (1988) ''(second assistant director)'' * '' La Révolution française'' (1989) ''(second assistant director)'' * '' La fille des collines'' (1990) ''(first assistant director)'' * '' Merci la vie'' (1991) ''(second unit director)'' * '' The Lover'' (1992) ''(first assistant director)'' * '' Germinal'' (1993) ''(first assistant director)'' * '' The Horseman on the Roof'' (1995) ''(first assistant director)'' * ''

'' (1997) ''(first assistant director)'' * '' The Man in the Iron Mask'' (1998) ''(first assistant director)''

Director

* '' The Bridge'' (co-director with Gérard Depardieu, 1999) * '' Boulevard du Palais'' (TV series) (1 episode) (2001) * ''

Volpone ''Volpone'' (, Italian for "sly fox") is a comedy play by English playwright Ben Jonson first produced in 1605–1606, drawing on elements of city comedy and beast fable. A merciless satire of greed and lust, it remains Jonson's most-perfo ...

'' (TV Movie) (2003) * '' San-Antonio'' (2004) * ''

'' (segment "Quartier Latin", co-director with Gérard Depardieu, 2006) * '' La vie à une'' (TV movie) (2008) * '' Envoyés très spéciaux'' (2009) * '' La plus pire semaine de ma vie'' (TV series) (2 episodes) (2010-2011) * '' United Passions'' (2014)