Audrey Azoulay: A Woman with a Passion for Books and Cinema

Audrey Azoulay grew up in a house that breathes politics and culture. Her father is André Azoulay, Advisor to His Majesty King Mohamed VI, and before him to his father, HM King Hassan II. Her mother is the writer Katia Brami.

She was born on 4 August 1972 in Paris to a Moroccan Jewish family from Essaouira. She grew up in the Beaugrenelle district of Paris, with her mother and two sisters, and spent her childhood between Morocco and France, due to her father’s position. She had a prestigious university career. In 1994, she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Management Sciences from the University of Paris Dauphine, in addition to a Master of Business Administration from the British University of Lancaster. She also studied at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris and is a graduate of the Ecole Nationale d’Administration, the same school where several figures of the French elite were trained.

Audrey Azoulay remains a distinguished personality. She did not have much experience in politics when she was appointed Minister of Culture under François Hollande. From 2014 to 2016, she held the post of adviser and head of culture and communication at the Elysée Palace, before surprising French public opinion by taking over the post of Minister of Culture.

Audrey Azoulay loves books and reading. She is passionate about classical works and reads a lot. But she loves cinema even more. She has many achievements to her credit in support of the 7th art at the time when she joined the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC) in 2003 from the Court of Auditors.

Audrey Azoulay is also deeply interested in heritage. As Minister of Culture, she has supported many cultural and human heritage preservation projects, particularly in regions where wars and conflicts have raged. She was behind the release of a law to protect the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem when she was director of the UNESCO Foundation for Education, Science and Culture, a position she has held since her election in October 2017, until today.