Catherine Poitevin is a French director, editor, and director of photography whose artistic work is closely connected to socially engaged documentary cinema and European independent filmmaking, with a career shaped by political, human-centered, and culturally sensitive storytelling.

Over the years, Poitevin developed a strong presence within documentary cinema through collaborations on films exploring memory, displacement, political conflict, identity, and social justice, contributing both as editor and visual storyteller.

Her work is particularly recognized within European documentary cinema for its restrained visual language, observational sensitivity, and emotionally grounded approach to real human experiences.

Among her notable collaborations is the internationally recognized documentary Rachel (2009) by Simone Bitton, where she worked as editor on the film, which was screened at major international festivals including the Berlin International Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, and Hot Docs.

Throughout her career, Poitevin worked across documentary editing, visual construction, cinematography, and independent cinematic production, developing a film language grounded in human observation, narrative rhythm, and socially engaged visual storytelling.

Her cinematic approach focuses on documentary realism, intimate observation, and the emotional relationship between image, memory, and political reality, often privileging silence, atmosphere, and human presence over conventional dramatic structure.

At the 6th edition of the Kobani International Film Festival 2025, Catherine Poitevin serves as a member of the International Jury, contributing a perspective shaped by documentary cinema, European independent film culture, and socially engaged visual storytelling.