Saïd Hamich Benlarbi is a French-Moroccan screenwriter, director and producer, a graduate of La Fémis and a Lagardère Foundation laureate. He has collaborated with filmmakers such as Leyla Bouzid, Rachel Lang, Philippe Faucon, Nabil Ayouch, Meriem Ben'Mbarek, Clément Cogitore and Faouzi Bensaïdi. In 2018, he directed his first film, 'Return to Bollene', nominated for the Prix Louis-Delluc for 1st film. In 2021, his short film 'The Departure' was selected for approximately 100 international festivals, such as Namur, Rotterdam, Palm Springs, Go Short, Cleveland, Rhode Island, Clermont-Ferrand, Grenoble, and Aubagne. The film won twenty-seven awards and was nominated for a César in 2022. 'Across the Sea' is his second feature film.