Elina Löwensohn (born 11 July 1966) is a Romanian-American actress. She has appeared in American, British and French films such as Simple Men (1992), Schindler's List (1993), Amateur (1994), Nadja (1994), Basquiat (1996), The Wisdom of Crocodiles (1998), A Very Long Engagement (2004), The Wild Boys (2017), After Blue (2021), She Is Conann (2023), and Dragon Dilatation (2024).

Early life Elina Löwensohn was born on 11 July 1966 in Bucharest, Romania. Her mother was a ballet dancer and her father worked in the government. After the death of her father, a Jewish Holocaust survivor, her mother emigrated to the United States with her when she was fourteen years old, where her mother went on a hunger strike to get a visa for her.

After finishing high school, Löwensohn studied acting at Michigan State University and at New York University's Playwrights Horizons Theater School and played in independent theatre productions.

Career

Löwensohn started her film career in 1991 with the short film Theory of Achievement. Some of her notable roles are Diana Reiter in Schindler's List (1993), Katya in the 1994 Seinfeld episode "The Gymnast", Annina Nosei in Basquiat (1996), Iris in Six Ways to Sunday (1997), and Anne Levels in The Wisdom of Crocodiles (1998).

In the late 1990s, Löwensohn started working in French cinema and has since appeared in films such as Sombre (1998), Roberto Succo (2001), Doo Wop (2004), A Very Long Engagement (2004), and On War (2008).

In 2010, Löwensohn began a collaborative project with French filmmaker Bertrand Mandico named 20+1 Projections, where they are to make 21 short films in 21 years. Though each film is meant to be a unique narrative and formal work, they are to revolve around the themes of aging and desire. Their first collaboration was in Boro in a Box (2011). Löwensohn also appeared in Mandico's feature films The Wild Boys (2017), After Blue (2021), She Is Conann (2023), and Dragon Dilatation (2024).

In 2019, she played a fictionalized version of herself in Simple Women, the debut feature film of Italian director Chiara Malta.

In 2022, Löwensohn directed the short film Nothing Will Be the Same Again.

Personal life Löwensohn moved from the United States to France in the late 1990s. She holds dual American and French citizenship.

Since the 2010s, Löwensohn has been in a relationship with French filmmaker and frequent collaborator Bertrand Mandico, with whom she lives in Paris. Mandico and Löwensohn have collaborated on Mandico's 20+1 Projections, a project of 21 short films in 21 years directed by Mandico and starring Löwensohn which documents the aging process of an actress and began with Boro In The Box (2011). Mandico has described Löwensohn as his favorite actress, his artistic double and the actress he dreamed of being.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1991 Theory of Achievement Short film1992 Simple Men Elina Another Girl Another Planet Mia 1993 Schindler's List Diana Reiter Geborenka Short film1994 Amateur Sofia Ludens Nadja Nadja1995 My Antonia Antonia Shimerda TV film Flirt Nurse Pictures of Baby Jane Doe Lucinda1996 Basquiat Annina Nosei I'm Not Rappaport Clara Lemlich1997 In the Presence of Mine Enemies Rachel Heller TV film Mauvais Genre Lucie Le Silence de Rak Lucie Six Ways to Sunday Iris The Other Also Short film La fiancée La fiancée Short film1998 Sombre Claire The Wisdom of Crocodiles Anne Levels2000 Why Get Married the Day the World Ends? The Wake The Mother Eight-hour long silent film2001 Roberto Succo Françoise Cottaz Get Well Soon Cindy2002 Portraits filmés Short film Je n'ai jamais tué personne Magali Short film2003 Quicksand Vannessa Intrusion Klara Short film2004 Doo Wop Maya A Very Long Engagement German woman2005 Orlando Vargas Alice Kitchen La femme Short film Dark Water Dahlia's Mother Hunt for Justice TV film Teresa Short film Histoire tragique avec fin heureuse Short film2006 L'immature Short film À peine s'était-elle endormie... Marion Short film Fay Grim Bebe The Stone Council Laura The Little Cat Is Dead Bettina Short film2007 Unloved Maria Delmouly TV film New Love Alma Short film L'institutriste Short film2008 Able Danger Kasia Wayfarer Woman Short film On War Rachel South of Heaven Veronica Corps perdus Ewa TV film D'une seule voix Nadia Short film2009 Romaine 30° Below Antonia Corpus/Corpus La patiente de la psy Short film Regarder Oana Oana Short film Lourdes Cécile 2010 Des rêves pour l'hiver Teen's Mother Vasco Short film J'étais à Nüremberg Nina TV film Black Venus Jeanne2011 Declaration of War Alex Boro in the Box Walerian Borowczyk Short film Adèle's Choice Vlora TV film 2012 Living Still Life Fièvre Short film 2013 Some Place Else Professeur Adamovitctz TV film2014 Prehistoric Cabaret Short film Salammbô Short film Souvenirs d'un montreur de seins Le montreur de seins Short film Le refuge Marielle Short film2015 The Forbidden Room Sister Notre-Dame des Hormones Lune Short film Haldernablou - Triptyque Short film Armorican Suite Moon Y a-t-il une vierge encore vivante? Joan the Slut Short film Parisienne Bogdana Le Miracle de Tekir Lili L'existence selon Gabriel Short film Retour Short film In Ecstasy Short film2016 Seances Short film The Girl Without Hands The Goddess A Jew Must Die Myria Bloch Angel Louise Depressive Cop The Mother Short film2017 Odile dans la vallée Short film L'âne du Graveyron La femme Short film Let the Corpses Tan Luce The Wild Boys Séverin(e)2018 Ni le jour, ni la nuit The Apparition Docteur de Villeneuve Ultra Pulpe Joy D'Amato Short film Knife+Heart Mrs. Favre Histoire de Stefano Short film 2019 Simple Women Elina2020 Which is Witch? Sister #2 Short film The Return of Tragedy. Tragedy Short film Féminisme, rafale et politique Short film2021 After Blue Zora Dead Flash Short film2023 She Is Conann Rainer The Beast Clairvoyant 2024 Dragon Dilatation 2025 Don't Let Me Die Isabela Premiered at the 78th Locarno Film Festival

Television Year Title Role Notes 1994 Seinfeld Katya Episode: "The Gymnast" 2001 The Bill Natasha Ivanova Episode: "Common Language" 2004 Sex Traffic Maria Danielski Miniseries, 2 episodes 2006 Sable noir Norma Episode: "En attendant le bonheur" 2021 H24, 24 h de la vie d'une femme Episode: "09H - Revenge porn"2023 Parlement Carmen Season 3

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