Leïla Sy (born Leïla Dixmier; 30 June 1977), is a French director and activist. She is known for her work with rapper Kery James, including co-directing the film Street Flow.
Contents
Biography
Leïla Sy was born Leïla Dixmier on June 30, 1977 to a French mother and Senegalese father.
After attending the arts school Penninghen, she began her career in French hip hop in the press: first working at Track List, she later became the artistic director of the French version of The Source.
In 2005, she founded, along with Joeystarr whom she is in a relationship with, the organization Devoirs de mémoires. Sy serves as the organization's president. In 2017, Sy was named a member of the public interest group creating the Fondation pour la mémoire de l'esclavage (Foundation for the memory of slavery).
Since 2016, she has created music videos for rapper Kerry James such as "Musique nègre" ("Black Music"), for whom she is the artistic director. They created their first feature film in 2019, Street Flow, with a script written by the rapper and directed by James and Sy. The film was released on Netflix in October, 2019.
Filmography
Fiction
2019 : Je t'aim3, épisode Entre chien et Lou (court métrage) with Vald (rapper)
2019 : Street Flow, with Kery James
2023 : Yo Mama, with Amadou Mariko
2023 : Street Flow 2, with Kery James
Documentary
2011 : Rîmes et Châtiments
Music videos
List is not exhaustive
2009 : Je représente by Kery James
2009 : Le Retour du rap français by Kery James
2012 : Heart Stop by Wax Tailor, co-directed by Mathieu Foucher
2012 : Lettre à la République by Kery James, directed by Mathieu Foucher
2012 : Dernier MC by Kery James
2013 : Constat amer by Kery James
2013 : À l'horizon by Kery James ft. Corneille
2013 : Mystère féminin by Kery James ft. Imany
2013 : Contre nous by Kery James ft. Youssoupha & Médine, directed by Kub&Cristo
2013 : Post Scriptum by Kery James
2014 : Paris by Tunisiano
2014 : Bolchoï by Soviet Suprem
2016 : Vivre ou mourir ensemble by Kery James
2016 : N'importe quoi by Kery James
2016 : Racailles by Kery James
2016 : Musique nègre by Kery James ft. Lino & Youssoupha
2016 : J'suis pas un héros by Kery James
2016 : Game of Bells by LEJ
2016 : Le Prix by Rockin' Squat
Awareness campaign
2016 : The Sound of Silence for the Centre Primo Levi