Lionel Baier Biography: Movies & TV Shows, Height, Age, Spouse, Children, Net Worth

Lionel Baier is a Swiss film director, screenwriter, producer, and actor known for blending intimate personal stories with sharp socio-political themes across fiction, documentary, and hybrid films.

Born in Lausanne to a Polish-Swiss family, he began his career programming a small-town cinema before co-founding the influential Bande à Part Films in 2009.

His films, characterized by wry humor, fluid sexuality, and an interest in Europe’s changing borders, have premiered at Cannes, Berlin, and Locarno.

Profile

• Full Name: Lionel Baier
• Stage Name: Lionel Baier
• Born: 13, December 1975
• Age: 49 years old
• Birthplace: Lausanne, Switzerland
• Nationality: Swiss
• Occupation: Film Director, Screenwriter, Producer, Actor, Educator
• Height: Unknown
• Parents: Mr. and Mrs. Baier
• Siblings: Unknown
• Spouse: None
• Children: None
• Relationship: Not married
• Net Worth: $2 million

Early Life and Education

Lionel Baier was born on December 13, 1975, in Lausanne, Switzerland, into a family of Polish origin that had settled in the French-speaking canton of Vaud. Raised by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Baier, he grew up absorbing the region’s cultural mix without public mention of siblings or extended family details.

At age seventeen he began programming the Rex Cinema in nearby Aubonne, a hands-on apprenticeship that shaped his cinematic eye long before formal study. Between 1995 and 1999 he pursued a degree in Humanities (Lettres) at the University of Lausanne, balancing coursework with assistant-director gigs on commercials and short films. Of Polish-Swiss ethnicity, he has never publicly detailed religious practice.

Career

Lionel Baier entered the industry in the mid-1990s as an assistant director on Swiss television and advertising projects, but his directorial debut arrived with the short Mon père c’est un lion (1998), a playful nod to family myth-making.

His first feature, Garçon stupide (2004), followed a young man’s sexual awakening through lo-fi video diaries; the film’s raw intimacy won the Leopard for Best First Feature at Locarno and the European Director Prize at the New Europe Film Festival.

He followed with Comme des voleurs (à l’Est) (2006), a road movie tracing Polish-Swiss roots, and Un autre homme (2008), a sly critique of film criticism itself.

In 2009 Baier co-founded Bande à Part Films with Ursula Meier, Jean-Stéphane Bron, and Frédéric Mermoud, creating a collective that would produce many of French-speaking Switzerland’s most acclaimed titles.

From 2002 to 2021 Baier headed the Film Department at ÉCAL (École cantonale d’art de Lausanne), mentoring hundreds of students while maintaining a prolific output.

Longwave (2013) sent a Swiss radio team to 1970s Portugal on the eve of the Carnation Revolution, blending satire and period detail; La vanité (2015) earned a Cannes ACID slot with its single-night meditation on death and dignity.

He ventured into television with the Ondes de choc anthology (2018), directing the episode Prénom: Mathieu about a school shooting’s aftermath.

His 2022 feature Continental Drift (South) tracked European aid workers adrift in Sicily, premiering in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and showcasing his maturing blend of humor and geopolitical bite.

Lionel Baier shifted gears in 2023, leaving ÉCAL to lead the Réalisation Department at La Fémis in Paris, while retaining his vice-presidency at the Swiss Cinemathèque.

His latest film, La Cache (2025), world-premiered in competition at the Berlinale, exploring a clandestine love affair inside a Cold War listening post.

Across three decades Baier has directed nine features, written or co-written most, and produced for peers, leaving a body of work that treats cinema as both mirror and scalpel—dissecting identity, memory, and the absurdities of borders with understated elegance.

Social Media

• Facebook Handle: Lionel Baier

Personal Life

Lionel Baier maintains a clear boundary between his personal and professional life, choosing to keep his romantic relationships and family matters entirely out of the public eye.

Despite his visibility in the film industry, he does not mention a spouse, partner, or children in interviews, nor do any public records or media reports reveal such details, underscoring his preference for privacy.

Outside of these events, he enjoys spending quiet moments cycling along the scenic shores of Lake Geneva, blending his professional commitments with personal downtime in an environment that clearly holds significance for him.

Filmography

• Garçon stupide (2004)
• Comme des voleurs (à l’Est) (2006)
• Un autre homme (2008)
• Longwave (2013)
• La vanité (2015)
• Ondes de choc – Prénom: Mathieu (2018)
• Continental Drift (South) (2022)
• La Cache (2025)

Net Worth

Lionel Baier holds an estimated net worth of $2 million, built from directing fees, screenwriting royalties, and producer credits through Bande à Part Films. Additional income flows from his long tenure at ÉCAL, speaking engagements at festivals, and his current post at La Fémis.