benoit gryspeerdt

producer

An independent film producer with an extensive background in the financial and production ends of the industry, Benoit Gryspeerdt joins Anne Aghion as a producing partner on ICE PEOPLE, following his work as production manager on her previous award-winning films, “In Rwanda we say…The family that does not speak dies,” and “Gacaca, Living Together Again in Rwanda?” 

Until recently, Gryspeerdt was Director of Finance and Administration at Ardèche Images which, among other activities, runs the Etats Généraux du Film Documentaire, one of the leading documentary festivals in France.

He spent 2001-2005 at Dominant 7, a Paris-based production company responsible for a long slate of internationally distributed, award-winning films. Joining the company as production manager and moving up to line producer and member of the senior management team, he worked on over a dozen projects in collaboration with major production companies, broadcasters and funders, including ARTE, Canal + and Studio Canal, BBC, the Soros and Sundance documentary funds, and more.  In addition to Aghion’s films, which were co-produced by Dominant 7, Gryspeerdt’s credits include the massive international co-production, “Steps for the Future,” an 8-hour package of programming about HIV/AIDs in southern Africa that crossed seven countries, and involved 14 international broadcasters and numerous organizations including UNICEF and NORAID; director Karim Aïnouz’s  2002 feature biopic about eponymous Brazilian cultural hero “Madame Sata,” which premiered at Cannes and went on to win 21 international awards, with nominations for 14 more; and the critically acclaimed 2005 BBC film, “Don’t F*** with Me, I have 51 Brothers and Sisters.”

Prior to Dominant 7, Gryspeerdt was Financial Director for MK2, one of Europe’s leading film companies, where he oversaw reporting in areas including feature and television production and distribution, international sales, home entertainment and theatrical exhibition. He started his work at the company as internal auditor, working on the catalogue acquisition of important libraries including CIBY 2000 and François Truffaut’s former company, Les Films du Carosse.  He began his career at the television- and film-acquisition arm of TF1, where he helped develop rights management software.

A native of Lille, France, Gryspeerdt is a 2005 graduate of the highly competitive producer-training program, Eurodoc, which he attended with ICE PEOPLE.  He holds a Masters of Science in Personnel Management and Business Administration from France’s Edhec Business School. 

He is currently developing additional projects with award-winning filmmakers Michka Saäl and Aldo Lee.

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the filmmakers

Anne Aghion
Director & Producer
• Awards include an Emmy, a UNESCO Fellini Prize and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Critics praise Anne for conveying, without preconception, a strong sense of the people and places she covers.
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Nadia Ben Rachid
Editor
• Nadia joins Anne for this third collaboration following their Emmy-winning work on the Rwandan Gacaca.  
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Sylvestre Guidi
Director of Photography
• More than 20 years of documentary production experience—filming from the top of the world to the bottom.
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Richard Fleming
Sound Recordist
• Having traveled the world recording sound, Richard rejoins Anne on location for ICE PEOPLE.
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Laurent Petitgand
Composer, original score
• A prolific composer, recording artist, arranger, performer and actor, Petitgand’s work has been featured in a long list of films.
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Benoit Gryspeerdt
Producer
• Benoit joins Anne as a producing partner following his work as production manager on her previous award-winning films. 
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