Enki Bilal is a French comic book creator, graphic novelist, and filmmaker. He is best known for his comics series The Nikopol Trilogy, which has been adapted into a feature film, The Cathedral, and two animated films, Immortal and The Little Angels. He has also directed several live-action films, including Bunker Palace Hotel and Tykho Moon.
Bilal was born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in 1951. His family moved to Paris when he was six. He started drawing at a young age, encouraged by his father, a journalist. He studied at the École des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Strasbourg and then worked as a freelance illustrator for a number of publications, including the newspaper Libération.
In 1975, Bilal published his first comic book, The Beast of the XXth Century, which was an instant success. This was followed by The Nikopol Trilogy, which was published in 1978-1985. The trilogy tells the story of a future world in which the great powers are at war and the population is subjugated by a totalitarian regime. The trilogy has been adapted into a feature film, The Cathedral, and two animated films, Immortal and The Little Angels.
In 1988, Bilal wrote and directed his first live-action feature film, Bunker Palace Hotel, which was selected for the Cannes Film Festival. He followed this with Tykho Moon in 1996, which won the Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival.
Bilal has also written and illustrated a number of books, including The Black Order Brigade (1995), The Carnival of Immortals (2007), and The Hunting Party (2010). In 2011, Bilal was awarded the Grand Prix at the Angoulême International Comics Festival for his body of work.
Bilal’s work has been praised for its originality and imaginative vision. His stories often combine elements of science fiction, fantasy, and horror to create powerful narratives that explore the human condition. His comics have been translated into numerous languages and he is considered one of the most influential comic book creators of his generation.
Birthday
Oct. 7, 1951
