Cédric Derlyn | French Director and Cinematographer

A selection of my short films. Each one was a testing ground, where I was searching for images and sounds that say more than words.

Homeless man walking among electrical pylons in Twice as Far

TWICE AS FAR

NARRATIVE SHORT

Man in white walking along a road bordering Joshua Tree desert in 88 short film

Close-up of man in white wiping sweat from his face in hot Joshua Tree desert, 88 short film

Tiny man walking on a huge magnificent rock in Joshua Tree desert, 88 short film

NARRATIVE SHORT

Man in military coat with arms outstretched in forest, black and white Clone short film

CLONE

NARRATIVE SHORT

Black and white still of person in dark clothing holding severed hand in dramatic scene, The Hand short film

THE HAND

NARRATIVE SHORT

Close-up of helmeted soldier spitting blood in forest, black and white, zombie style, GAS short film

Dark tunnel with soldier in backlight holding machine gun, GAS short film

Two soldiers facing each other with bloodied lost faces, zombie style, GAS short film

GAS

NARRATIVE SHORT

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Twice as Far

Narrative Short

Synopsis

In the austere immensity of the French countryside, a man confronted by betrayal wanders among electrical pylons, questioning the boundaries between destruction and rebirth in a world stripped of its landmarks.

Genre & Duration

Drama Psychological Thriller 10min

Credits

Director: Cédric Derlyn
Cinematographer: Cédric Derlyn
Year: 2025

Wide shot of sad deserted countryside, man executing another from behind in distance, black and white Twice as Far

Man walking back along railway in village station, train passing beside, Twice as Far

Wild cherry tree in bloom along highway, black and white, Twice as Far

Man with haggard wet face, mix of water and blood, looking in mirror, Twice as Far

Boss firing employee in office with city backdrop, harsh moment, Twice as Far

Close-up of legs on barrel in countryside with pylons, grass blowing, black and white, reminiscent of Hopper’s solitude, Twice as Far

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88

Narrative Short

Synopsis

A man wanders through the endless desert, seeking to speak with God in a world of silence. Based on Psalm 88, this film follows the spiritual journey of a soul facing emptiness, where the barren landscape mirrors his inner desolation.

Genre & Duration

Drama Experimental 10min

Credits

Director: Cédric Derlyn
Cinematographer: Cédric Derlyn
Year: 2015

Man with empty gaze, head on hands sideways, hair in wind, sad in Joshua Tree National Park desert, 88 short film

Wide shot of man sitting uneasy on large rock, gazing at Joshua Tree desert, 88 short film

Close-up of feet on rock, one in sandal other bare, Joshua Tree desert, 88 short film

Wide shot of Joshua Tree desert landscape, solitude and melancholy, 88 short film

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CLONE

Narrative Short | 35mm

Synopsis

A scorched world. Absolute power. Corrupted blood. An aging, diseased dictator obsessed with immortality. A captive scientist. A blasphemous project: extracting Christlike DNA. Clone after clone. Failure after failure. Then, success. New blood flows. The experiment transcends its purpose.

In an underground laboratory, science plays God.

Genre & Duration

Drama Experimental 7min

Credits

Director: Cédric Derlyn
Cinematographer: Antoine Gueugneau
Year: 2005

Awards & Selections

Court Métrange, Rennes (France) 2006

Two officers in long coat uniforms and boots entering tunnel in secret underground base, Clone short film

Very close-up of white-bearded scientist with wet face, sad and angry after crying, Clone short film

Close-up of clone with Christ-like white face, looking sleepy, Clone short film

Close-up of clone screaming with lost gaze, Clone short film

Underground lab, officers and scientists with clone on operating table, Frankenstein vibe, black and white, Clone short film

Close-up of clone in forest, wearing long officer's coat, looking menacing, Clone short film

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THE HAND

Narrative Short | 16mm | Super 8

Synopsis

A young man prepares to ask for his beloved's hand in marriage. His future father-in-law's offer to help takes a macabre turn, transforming the matrimonial ritual into a visceral nightmare where "asking for her hand" becomes literally bloody. A cruel tale of family and its rituals, acclaimed at several fantastic film festivals and appreciated by Damien Chazelle.

Genre & Duration

Horror Fantastic Experimental 4min

Credits

Director: Cédric Derlyn
Cinematographer: Antoine Gueugneau
Year: 2004

Awards & Selections

Horror and Fantasy Film Festival, San Sebastián 2004

Gérardmer Fantastic Film Festival 2005

Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival 2005

Monty Python Party, Le Grand Rex, Paris 2005 (screening in the presence of Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones)

Paris Tout Court Festival 2006

Wide shot of young man nude from back on bed in tiny dark room, The Hand short film

Close-up of young man holding bloody severed hand before his face in tiny basement room, The Hand short film

Tall barren trees with witch-like branches in sinister village street, Nosferatu vibe, The Hand short film

Close-up of future father-in-law with crazy face, The Hand short film

Close-up of happy future son-in-law facing future father-in-law, Eraserhead by David Lynch vibe, The Hand short film

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GAS

Narrative Short | 16mm

Synopsis

Shot in 16mm black and white using a Cine-Kodak Special, this short film plunges into a dystopian universe contaminated by toxic gas. Two sick soldiers find themselves trapped in an infernal loop where they execute each other, only to restart the same macabre ritual relentlessly. A nightmarish vision where death itself refuses to release its victims.

Genre & Duration

Horror Experimental 3min

Credits

Director: Cédric Derlyn
Cinematographer: Cédric Derlyn
Year: 2004

Awards & Selections

Human Rights Film Festival, San Sebastián 2005

Two helmeted soldiers face to face, one with a bloodied face and wide, frightened eyes, GAS short film

Face-to-face close-up of two helmeted soldiers confronting each other in forest, black and white, zombie style, GAS short film

Close-up of helmeted soldier in distress, black and white, zombie style, GAS short film

I try to capture what drifts between presence and absence, sudden alignments of light and faces, like stolen scenes from a film that only exists in that instant.

Dog silhouette walking on wet beach sand at sunset with dramatic sky reflection

Black and white rural landscape with barbed wire fence, wooden post and bare trees in misty field

Children playing leapfrog on Ngor Village beach at sunset in Dakar, Senegal

Fisherman pulling fishing net at night along Senegal River bank near Faidherbe Bridge in Saint-Louis, Senegal

Black and white fishing pier with nets and boats in La Pointe Courte neighborhood, Sète, France

Black and white lone surfer walking along shoreline in Palavas-les-Flots bay with tall grass in foreground

Black and white high-contrast photo of wooden beach groynes in foreground with white sea and sky in background, abstract landscape

Pastel sunset at Toubab Diallaw, Senegal: the sun nearly touching the water, a weathered gate in the foreground, and a man walking alone along the shore

Tall reeds under a dark, stormy sky by the water

Black and white tree-lined park alley with empty metal chairs in the shade

Two silhouettes on a beach at sunset, beside a stranded wooden pirogue, golden light

Reeds in foreground against a stormy, Baudelairian sky, Occitanie, South of France

High-contrast black and white photo of a solitary tree in the middle of a field under a dramatic cloudy sky, Beauce region, France

A winding country road at dusk under a pastel pink sky, Brittany, France

Sunlight filtering through a forest in Brittany, France

Twilight in Sète: a wet parking lot reflecting a pink sky, with a car's headlights on

Sunset over the wild dunes of Plouhinec, Brittany, with pastel amber and pink skies, and clumps of dune grass with white seed heads in the foreground

Black and white landscape of the Westbury White Horse with tall grasses in the foreground

Woman walking on a steep path through a cactus field by the sea, Ngor Island, Senegal

Tank Crossing road sign on an isolated lane cutting through the military training grounds of Salisbury Plain, Southern England

Black and white photo of Toubab Diallaw beach, Senegal: a woman walking along the horizon line with a young mangrove shoot or grass in the foreground

Two boats with Senegalese flags moored at a natural jetty on the Pink Lake, Senegal, under a pastel sunset sky

High-contrast black and white silhouette of a group of children walking along the bright horizon line between a dark sky and sea at Toubab Diallaw beach, Senegal

Street portrait in Lisbon: a stern elderly woman leaning against a movie poster on a bus shelter, creating a visual pun where the poster's woman appears to lick her head

Silhouette of a young tree against a hazy sunset over the sea

Film shoot for 'ZERO' on the beach of the Mosque of the Divinity in Dakar: crew filming extras running through explosion smoke

Child walking like a tightrope walker on the edge of an abandoned hotel swimming pool at Les Mamelles beach in Dakar, Senegal, pastel colors

Blue hull of a boat stranded on its side at low tide, contrasting with the golden pastel sunset sky on Plage des Maristes, Dakar

Child straddling a Lebou fishing pirogue in Saint-Louis, Senegal, with hundreds of traditional wooden boats in the background

High-contrast black and white photo of a jogger on a gravel path in the Luxembourg Gardens, Paris, with long shadows cast by the park's large gates

Black and white still life of an improvised bench made from a wooden plank resting on a broken chair in the shade of a tree, Dakar

Man descending the stairs of the abandoned former governor's palace on Gorée Island, off the coast of Dakar, Senegal

Wide black and white photo of a row of casuarina trees lining Malika beach near Dakar, with a woman and her dog in the distance

Monochrome top-down shot of a model submerged in a bathtub filled with milk, fashion photography

Extreme close-up black and white photo of a man's hands manipulating prayer beads in Dakar, Senegal

High-contrast black and white detail of a mobile home window under a cart shed, Brittany, France

Black and white still life of a weathered, patinated vintage garden watering can in a dusty workshop, Brittany, France

Monochrome photo of a bison walking on a snowy road in Yellowstone National Park, edited with a vintage aesthetic including scratches and wear

Black and white landscape at Cabo de Gata, Spain: a man's silhouette atop a rock formation under a heavy, dark sky

Portrait-format monochrome photo of a tree in silhouette against the sun, with its long shadow stretching across a textured, sun-warped road surface

Abstract interior of an entryway near Roanne, France: a vintage wooden coat rack in silhouette against colorful light from the front door transom

Wide black and white shot of two women walking with a dog on Plouhinec beach in Brittany under a large white cumulus cloud

Black and white photo of tall grasses growing in the dunes of Plouhinec beach, Brittany, against a backdrop of a white cumulus cloud over the sea

Night photo of a house with lit windows illuminated by an amber sodium streetlight in the countryside near Thiers, France

Ocher crumbling wall in the foreground of an amber-orange vintage car on a street in Saint-Louis, Senegal, warm earthy color palette

Landscape in Auvergne near Thiers, France, at dusk: a small grove silhouetted against a gradient sky of blue and red, with a crescent moon visible

Black and white photo of a central tree among others on the edge of a forest after rain, Morbihan, Brittany, damp and melancholic atmosphere

Extreme close-up black and white photo of a spiderweb covered in morning dew, Morbihan, Brittany

Night scene in a Breton village in Morbihan: amber sodium streetlights diffused by nocturnal fog in front of a bare winter tree

Sunset at Toubab Diallaw, Senegal: the sun appearing to plunge into the water, surrounded by a foreground branch

Monochrome photo of a goalkeeper with outstretched arm at sunset on a Senegalese beach, the goalposts nearly submerged by the rising tide

Two police officers in uniform monitoring a political gathering on Yoff Beach, Dakar, Senegal, with figures speaking on a podium in the background

Colorful photo of white wildflowers on the towpath of the Blavet river in Morbihan, Brittany

Man walking on the bridge to Saint-Louis island, Senegal, under an intense yellow sky after a sandstorm, reflected in the Senegal River

Landscape photo of a path with a large tree and a dog resting in its shade by a lake in Spain

Black and white photo of a man working in a rice field near Antananarivo, Madagascar

Two children roller skating on a road at sunset with the Les Mamelles lighthouse in the background, Dakar, Senegal

Children's legs playing on the beach at sunset, Nosy Be island, Madagascar

Celtic cross covered in moss and lichen, southern England countryside

Red telephone booth isolated on a country road in southern England, surrounded by fields and farms

Stourhead landscape: the iconic bridge and lake from Barry Lyndon, with vibrant green grass and a deep blue sky, Wiltshire, England

Portrait of a magnificent ginger cat sitting on a stylish antique armchair

Cage for birds filled with artificial red goldfish, displayed against the backdrop of the Arènes de Nîmes, Gard, Occitanie, France

Silhouetted trees against a sunset over the Thau lagoon near Sète, Occitanie, France

Black and white street photo of a woman observing a feminist protest with participants lying on the ground representing victims of gender-based violence, Paris, France

Black and white photo of clotheslines with laundry drying against the backdrop of the sea and the port of Dakar, Gorée Island, Senegal

A highly contrasted African sky with dark clouds and bright white clouds, featuring a ballet of storks

Black and white photo of an abandoned hotel on a Casamance beach, Senegal, with two people walking along the shoreline in the background

Black and white photo of a ghostly abandoned hotel on a deserted beach in Casamance, Senegal

The sodium glow of a village lights up a nocturnal landscape in Beauce, France. The photograph is transformed by a textured effect, resembling droplets on the lens, creating a hybrid between reality and impression

Red cushion washed ashore on the beach at Toubab Diallaw, Senegal

Fleet of pirogues on the Senegal River at dusk, Saint-Louis, with a bluish light and the first streetlights turning on after sunset

Black and white photo of three cowboys under a saloon porch in the Tabernas desert, Almería, Spain

Single seashell on wet beach sand at low tide in Casamance, Senegal, with a dramatic sunset sky reflection

I tell stories through images, in cinema, in photography, and in the moments that drift between them.

I am a French director, producer, and cinematographer, dividing my time between France and Senegal. Over the years, I have directed more than 250 episodes of television drama for TF1 and France Télévisions, experiences that taught me to work fast, to direct actors with care, and to look for the cinematic shot where time runs short. Yet my deepest drive has always been to tell stories with a personal voice. I founded Spleen Productions, which produced my short films, then films by other directors, including Joyce A. Nashawati's La Morsure (The Bite), winner of the Grand Prize for short film at Gérardmer in 2010.

My short films Gas, The Hand and Clone were shot on black-and-white film with old cameras, a 1930s Cine-Kodak Special and a Soviet Konvas. They travelled to international festivals, in San Sebastián, Gérardmer and Amsterdam. Then came 88, a lost man wandering through a Californian desert, based on Psalm 88, and Twice as Far, my latest film, a betrayed man alone among electricity pylons. These works are my laboratories: I look for emotion in the image, for meaning in rhythm and in the texture of sound.

Photography has become another extension of that search. It is not my profession, but a daily practice: moments of light and shadow, faces and spaces, that strike me like stolen frames from an unwritten film. Whether in black and white or color, grainy or luminous, my photographs are born from instinct and emotion, fragments of the world that demand to be remembered.

I see myself as both a storyteller and a craftsman, an auteur in the European sense, but also a hands-on filmmaker. I write, direct, shoot, edit, compose music, and grade my own work. Doing it all with my own hands keeps me free, and I have only one compass: what the audience should feel.

Portrait of Cédric Derlyn working behind the camera on set

"I just watched your film The Hand and it's brilliant! I really loved it. I love 16mm and 8mm black & white, and what you do with it. Every shot is beautiful. It reminds me of Dreyer's Vampyr, maybe with a bit of Lynch and Vigo? It's truly wonderful. Congratulations!"

Damien Chazelle, Academy Award-winning director of La La Land, Whiplash, First Man and Babylon

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