Mariana Otero

Mariana Otero (born 1963 in Rennes, France) became passionate about documentaries after studying cinema at the IDHEC. She has directed several films for ARTE, including Non lieux and La loi du collège, which was the channel's first documentary series. Between 1995 and 2000 she lived in Portugal where she directed Cette télévision est la vôtre. This film was the source of much controversy in Portugal as it exposed the inner workings of the largest commercial television channel in the country, SIC. She then returned to France and turned to cinema with Histoire d'un secret, an award winning film which delved into a long kept family secret. In 2010 she directed Entre nos mains, which tells the story of employees trying to transform their company into a cooperative. This film was nominated for a César for Best Documentary in 2011.

In 2013 she directed À ciel ouvert, a film that allows us to understand the singular vision of the world of psychologically and socially disadvantaged children. As an extension of the film she wrote the book «À ciel ouvert, entretiens» with Marie Brémond. In 2016/17 she directed L'assemblée, a film shot during the «Nuit debout» social movement, which shows how people on the Place de la République in Paris are trying to reinvent democracy.

In addition she teaches at the Ateliers Varan, at the Fémis, at the University of Jussieu, at the Creadoc (University of Poitiers/Angoulême), and at the ECAL (Lausanne). She is a member of the Association du Cinéma Indépendant pour sa Diffusion (Acid), of which she was co-president from 2010 to 2012.

2019 LOOKING FOR GILLES CARON
2017 L’ASSEMBLÉE
2013 À CIEL OUVERT
2010 ENTRE NOS MAINS
2003 HISTOIRE D’UN SECRET
1997 CETTE TÉLÉVISION EST LA VÔTRE (TV)
1994 LA LOI DU COLLÈGE (TV 6 x28’)
1991 NON-LIEUX (TV) Co-Director with Alejandra Rojo