Born in 1903, Ozu – in a mere 60 years of life – carved out one of the greatest directorial careers in cinema history. Beginning in the silent era and ending with his death in 1963, Ozu created a unique, seemingly simple filmmaking style that carried an emotional wallop, which audiences rarely saw coming (hence its desired effect). The universality of his themes – family discord among generations, changing social mores – have ensured that he remains at the top of the pantheon, his concerns and obsessions as relevant today as they’ve ever been.

After studying law, Xavier joined the Institut des Arts de Diffusion (IAD) in Belgium. Very early on, his predilection for gritty humour and a certain propensity to shoot in black and white were apparent. After many shorts and co-directing outings, Xavier directed Je me tue à le dire, his first feature film, in 2016. This dark comedy was selected at the Karlovy Vary Festival, the FNC in Montreal, and the Sitges Festival. It won several awards, including the New Voices/New Visions Award at the Palm Springs Festival and the Magritte awards for Best Screenplay and Best Actor. In 2020, he directed a short entitled Sprötch, which garnered nearly 100 awards and 380 film festival selections worldwide. Sprötch also won the Magritte for Best Short Fiction Film as well as the European Short Film Audience Award. Life’s a Bitch is his second feature film. The film was selected at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, the Festival des Arcs, and the BAFICI, in Buenos Aires, before coming to the 013 Cinecitta IFF.