And Then I Was French is a dark and twisting thriller about a young girl’s journey of self-discovery, that takes a dangerous and emotional direction as she struggles to escape the agony of unrequited love.
British-Canadian writer/director Claire Leona Apps, raised in Hong Kong and educated at the London Film School, is known for her dark, cross-cultural stories. Her debut feature, And Then I Was French (2018), a psychological thriller likened to the work of Andrea Arnold, marked her arrival as a bold new voice. Her films, including Girl Blue Running Shoe, Gweipo, Ruminate, and Ages of Man, have screened on the BBC and at festivals such as St. Louis, Cork, East End and Florida. A BAFTA talent, she has worked with acclaimed actors including Francesca Annis and Rebecca Hall. Her scripts have been Film Fatales Fellowship finalists and earned a scholarship to Stowe Story Labs. Claire’s Audible Original fiction podcast Aqua Tofana, a fairy tale-infused family crime drama, launches in 2026. Her short stories have appeared in Permafrost and For Page & Screen. She also runs the Soho House Women Writers’ Salon.
