Radu Mihaileanu is a Romanian-born French film director and screenwriter. As a student in 1980 he was forced to leave Romania which was then ruled by Nicolae Ceauşescu and moved to France. He studied film and graduated from the Institute des Hautes Études Cinématographiques (IDHEC) in Paris.

Radu Mihaileanu’ s debut feature, Betrayal (1993), brought him back to his native Romania and was recognised at several renowned film festivals such as the Montreal Film Festival and the Istanbul Film Festival. Train of Life (1998), his second feature, launched his international career. The film was not only screened at a myriad of film festivals, but was also awarded numerous prizes including the Audience Award for best foreign film at the Sundance Film Festival, two awards at the Venice Film Festival and the award for best foreign film at both the Donatello in Italy and the Cosnes sur Loire Film Festival. The critical acclaim he received for his most recent film, Live and Become (2005) secured his position as one of the most renowned European directors today. The film won countless awards including the Audience Award at the Berlin Film Festival and the César for Best Screenplay in 2006.