Thomas Gilou

French director Thomas Gilou specializes in films dealing with the daily realities of working-class life and frequently sets his stories within the immigrant-filled suburbs of Paris. Though he most often makes short films, like the César-nominated La Combine de la Girafe (1983), Gilou also occasionally writes and directs feature films, the first of which, Black Mic-Mac (1986), the tale of a suburb largely comprised of North African émigrés, earned him a César for best first film and won a César for most promising male newcomer for leading man Isaac de Bankole. Gilou's third film, Je Vérité Si Je Mens (Would I Lie to You?) (1997), the story of a homeless opportunist who is mistaken for a Jewish person by a wealthy benefactor, was also well-received.

~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide