After a first class honours degree in Philosophy from University College London, Balthazar joined the French production company BORÉALES, founded by Frederic and Barthelemy Fougea (“Sur les chemins de l’ecole” 2014, “Pourquoi j’ai pas mange mon père” 2015 etc.)

 

Working first as business affairs in charge of international coproductions, Balthazar rose to the rank of producer, making documentary prime time events for French and international television (France 2, M6, ZDF, BBC, NHK, National Geographic etc.).

 

In 2018, Balthazar launched LIONFISH FILMS with Onibo, a one-hour documentary for Arte France shot in the Peruvian Amazon, written and directed by Julien Mauranne and Victor Guillon that had its world premiere at the Atlanta Film Festival.

 

Later that year, he joined forces with Thomas Bidegain to produce The Field, a short film written and directed by Sandhya Suri, and co-produced with Canal +, Film London and the CNC. It screened in prestigious festivals around the world, among which TIFF 2018 where it won the Best International Short Film Award, Sundance 2019, and was nominated for a BAFTA.

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In 2019, alongside the production of Algiers Confidential, a four-part internationally co-produced drama mini-series for Arte France and German pubcaster ZDF, LIONFISH FILMS partnered up with producer Philippe Alessandri (WATCH NEXT MEDIA) to finance a TV drama development slate destined for the international market. Algiers Confidential is distributed by About Premium Content and was released on Arte France and ZDF in Q1 2022.

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In 2022, LIONFISH FILMS launched the production of the development slate's first born project : Nina & the Pig, an 8x26’ dark comedy for France Télévisions co-written by David André and César Award Winner Alice Vial. The series premiered in competition at Le Festival de la Fiction de la Rochelle, and was released on November, 11th 2022 on France Télévisions' streaming platform france.tv. 

Wild Bunch is leading the series' international sales, and releases in new territories will soon be announced.

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In 2023, Balthazar produced Sandhya Suri's narrative debut feature Santosh with Mike Goodridge's UK company GOOD CHAOS. The film is backed by BBC Film, BFI, Arte-ZDF, CNC, and co-produced by Suitable Pictures, Razor and Haut et Court.

 

Santosh premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2024 in the Un Certain Regard section.