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Antony Hickling

Antony Hickling (born 8 November 1975) is an English independent filmmaker, actor, writer, voiceover artist, and professor.

Biography

Antony Hickling was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, to an Indian father and an English mother of Italian origin. At a young age, he moved to the United Kingdom, where his family settled in Greater Manchester. There, he trained as an actor at Manchester University's Arden School of Theatre.

After working in London's theatre scene for several years, he relocated to Paris to study at Paris 8 University Vincennes-Saint-Denis. After obtaining a Master of Arts, he was invited to pursue a PhD but left his doctorate in Performing Arts unfinished to focus on a career in cinema.

In 2012, he trained as a director at the European Center for Film Production (CEFPF) in Paris under Belgian filmmaker Harry Cleven. His work, which explores themes of Queer identity, has been screened at LGBTQ film festivals worldwide. Beyond filmmaking, Hickling continues to work as an actor and voice artist, contributing to animated films, documentaries, video games, and major advertising campaigns around the world. Antony Hickling obtained French citizenship in 2018.

Since 2023, he has taught theatre and on‑camera acting at Cours Florent. In 2026, he was appointed director of the BA (Hons) Acting programme, offered at Cours Florent in both French and English and accredited by Regent's University London.

Films

Hickling's films are characterized by his underground film style, rich in religious symbolism, metaphors, and explicit sexual depictions. His trilogy of films—Little Gay Boy, Where Horses Go To Die, and Frig—concludes what he describes as the first chapter of his career. Both Frig and Little Gay Boy were restricted to audiences over 18 in France by the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée, a classification typically applied to films containing simulated sex or extreme violence.

Hickling's early works experimented with unconventional cinematic storytelling, using visual techniques and themes exploring identity, sexuality, and spirituality. His films often defy traditional narrative structures, blending surreal imagery with raw, emotional performances. His approach established him as a distinctive voice in contemporary queer cinema, leading to screenings at international LGBTQ film festivals and retrospectives recognising his contributions to the genre.

With Down in Paris, he transitioned toward a more traditional narrative style while retaining his unique artistic voice. The film, noted for its introspective storytelling and atmospheric cinematography, marked the beginning of a new phase in his work, highlighting themes of personal crisis, creative struggle, and urban isolation.

His documentary An Afternoon with Patrick Sarfati offers an intimate portrait of the French photographer, demonstrating Hickling's ability to adapt his directorial style to non-fiction filmmaking. The film, recognized for its sensitive exploration of Sarfati's life and artistry, further highlights Hickling's range as a filmmaker. In 2026, he completed shooting his next feature film, Everything I Said I Wasn't, in Paris, produced by Vivàsvan Pictures and AH Films.

Filmography

Director

Actor

Theatre

Voice Over and Dubbing

Films

Animation Movies

Documentary

Video Games

Film Festival Focus, Jury and Conference

  • Jury, Chéries-Chéris Paris, France 2012
  • Jury, Serile Filmului Gay International Film Festival 2012, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
  • Member of the board of directors and programmer for the festival Chéries-Chéris, Paris, France, from 2013 to 2016.
  • Jury, TGLFF, Torino Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, Italy 2015
  • Jury & Focus, Timi Shorts- Timișoara, Romania 2015
  • Round table discussion with Randal Kleiser, about the current state of contemporary LGBTQI cinéma for the Champs-Élysées Film Festival, Paris Paris 2017
  • Focus on his work at BIG!ff – Bari International Gender film festival Italy 2018, sponsored by Apulia Film Commission Italy.
  • Focus on his work at Rio Festival de Gênero & Sexualidade no Cinema 2018
  • Focus on his work at the festival cultural de diversidad sexual y género, Cuernavaca, Mexico 2018.
  • Focus on his work at Chéries-Chéris MK2, Paris, France 2018
  • Hybrida [GeSex#1] International colloquium on gender and sexuality perspectives in contemporary Francophone artistic-literary creation University of Valencia 2018
  • Focus on his work at Queer Zagreb, Perforacije Festival Zagreb, Croatia 2019
  • Jury, Sadique-master film festival, Paris 2019
  • Focus on his work at The IV DIGO – Goias Sexual diversity and gender international Film Festival, Brazil 2019.
  • Focus on his work for Semana Rainbow, A Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (UFJF), Brasil 2019
  • Carte Blanche for the 25th edition of L'Etrange Film Festival, Forum des Images, Paris, France 2019
  • Retrospective & Masterclass at The International Queer Film Festival Merlinka or Merlinka festival, Belgrade, Serbia 2019
  • Jury & Masterclass, Zinegoak, Bilbao International Film Festival (Basque Country) Spain, 2020
  • Retrospective TLVFest, Tel Aviv's International LGBT Film Festival, Israel, Sept 2020.
  • Jury, The International Queer Film Festival Merlinka or Merlinka festival, Belgrade, Serbia 2021
  • Jury, image+nation culture queer Image+Nation, 35th Edition, Montreal, Canada, Nov 2022

Awards

  • Down in Paris wins: Best Director, Queer international Film Festival, Playa del Carmen, Mexico, November 2022
  • Down in Paris wins: Best Director for a Feature Film (International), Yellowstone International Film Festival, New Delhi, India, October 2022
  • Antony Hickling for Down in Paris wins The Kim Renders Memorial Award for Outstanding Performance Reelout Queer Film Festival, Canada, Feb 2022
  • Down in Paris wins season award nomination for Best Feature Live Action Narrative | Manchester Lift-Off, United Kingdom, 2022
  • Down in Paris obtained the Arthouse Recommendation from the French Association of Arthouse Cinemas on 24 February 2022
  • Down in Paris wins Best Narrative Feature for the 39th OCT 2021
  • The Trilogy (Little Gay Boy, Where Horses Go To Die & Frig) receives the Christian Petermann award for an innovative work. Controversial scenarios expressed through music, dance and daring at the IV DIGO – Goias Sexual diversity and gender international Film Festival, Brazil, 2019
  • One Deep Breath – Best experimental feature at Zinegoak film festival in Bilbao, Spain, 2015
  • Special Mention for his work as a director at Rio FICG, Brazil, 2015
  • Holy Thursday (The Last supper) – Special mention from the Jury. Chéries-Chéris, France, 2013

References

External links