Antony Hickling


Antony Hickling is an English independent filmmaker, actor, writer, voiceover artist, and professor.

Biography

Antony Hickling was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, to an Indian father and an English mother of Italian origin. At a young age, he moved to the United Kingdom, where his family settled in Greater Manchester. There, he trained as an actor at Manchester University's Arden School of Theatre.
After working in London's theatre scene for several years, he relocated to Paris to study at Paris 8 University Vincennes-Saint-Denis. After obtaining a Master of Arts, he was invited to pursue a PhD but left his doctorate in Performing Arts unfinished to focus on a career in cinema.
In 2012, he trained as a director at the European Center for Film Production in Paris under Belgian filmmaker Harry Cleven. His work, which explores themes of Queer identity, has been screened at LGBTQ film festivals worldwide.
Beyond filmmaking, Hickling continues to work as an actor and voice artist, contributing to animated films, documentaries, video games, and major advertising campaigns. Since 2023, he has been a professor of stage and screen at the Cours Florent school in Paris.
He became a French citizen in 2018.

Films

Hickling's films are characterized by his underground film style, rich in religious symbolism, metaphors, and explicit sexual depictions. His trilogy of films—Little Gay Boy, Where Horses Go To Die, and Frig—concludes what he describes as the first chapter of his career. Both Frig and Little Gay Boy were restricted to audiences over 18 in France by the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée, a classification typically applied to films containing simulated sex or extreme violence.
Hickling's early works experimented with unconventional cinematic storytelling, using visual techniques and themes exploring identity, sexuality, and spirituality. His films often defy traditional narrative structures, blending surreal imagery with raw, emotional performances. His approach established him as a distinctive voice in contemporary queer cinema, leading to screenings at international LGBTQ film festivals and retrospectives recognizing his contributions to the genre.
In 2017, Hickling founded the production company H&A Films, allowing him greater creative independence. With Down in Paris, he transitioned toward a more traditional narrative style while retaining his unique artistic voice. The film, noted for its introspective storytelling and atmospheric cinematography, marked the beginning of a new phase in his work, highlighting themes of personal crisis, creative struggle, and urban isolation.
His documentary An Afternoon with Patrick Sarfati offers an intimate portrait of the French photographer, demonstrating Hickling's ability to adapt his directorial style to non-fiction filmmaking. The film, recognized for its sensitive exploration of Sarfati's life and artistry, further highlights Hickling's range as a filmmaker.

Filmography

Actor

YearTitleRoleNotes
1999Love in the 21st Century with Colin FarrellKevin TV series
2000Where the Heart IsIndian WaiterTV series
2006The RomanticsThe witnessTV series
2006Boom Boom ClapStuartShort film
2007Give & TakeDannyShort film
20088th WonderlandDanyFilm
2010Arthur 3: The War of the Two WorldsDouglasFilm
2010All Hallows'eenHugh TraversShort film
2012WorseThe manShort film
2014Love in Paris NeurologueFrench TV series
2014 The sky above Bastille Derek AngerExperimental Film
2016 Eric et Quentin The AmericanFrench TV Canal+
2021The Butcher's DaughterSid KharishFilm
2021The Biggest FanTony WilliamsFilm
2021Down in ParisRichard BarlowFilm
2021Black BoxCollaboraterFilm
2022Lupin (French TV series)Max MollerSerie Netflix
2023Hard SkillsGregFilm

Voice Over and Dubbing

Films

YearTitleRoleNotes
2011The LadyBBC JournalistFilm
2012My WayPost production Voice OverFilm
2014RapaceJournalistFrench TV Film
2014MisunderstoodRickyFilm
2015The Parisian Bitch, Princess of HeartsWilliamFilm
2018KurskPost production voicesFilm
2018FrigNarratorFilm

Animation Movies

YearTitleRoleNotes
2015MoukVoiced several charactersAnimation TV Series
2015Long Way NorthLarsonFilm
2016Louise by the ShoreTom the parachutistFilm
2016BallerinaVictor - reference voiceFilm
2017-2021Cartoonito (French TV channel)PresenterTV Series

Film Festival Focus, Jury and Conference

Awards

Down in Paris wins: Best Director, Queer international Film Festival, Playa del Carmen, Mexico, November 2022Down in Paris wins: Best Director for a Feature Film , Yellowstone International Film Festival, New Delhi, India, October 2022
  • Antony Hickling for Down in Paris wins The Kim Renders Memorial Award for Outstanding Performance Reelout Queer Film Festival, Canada, Feb 2022Down in Paris wins season award nomination for Best Feature Live Action Narrative | Manchester Lift-Off, United Kingdom, 2022Down in Paris obtained the Arthouse Recommendation from the French Association of Arthouse Cinemas on 24 February 2022Down in Paris wins Best Narrative Feature for the 39th Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival OCT 2021
  • The Trilogy receives the Christian Petermann award for an innovative work. Controversial scenarios expressed through music, dance and daring at the IV DIGO – Goias Sexual diversity and gender international Film Festival, Brazil, 2019One Deep Breath – Best experimental feature at Zinegoak film festival in Bilbao, Spain, 2015
  • Special Mention for his work as a director at Rio FICG, Brazil, 2015Holy Thursday – Special mention from the Jury. Chéries-Chéris, France, 2013