Abel Lanzac is the pseudonym of Antonin Baudry, a French diplomat who is currently the Cultural Counselor of the French Embassy and Permanent Representative of the French Universities in the United States. Previously he was an Advisor for International Economic and Cultural Affairs for former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin.
Baudry’s career has been a hybrid of diplomatic and cultural enterprises. As Abel Lanzac, Baudry received the prize for best album at the Angoulême International Comics Festival with designer Christophe Blain in February 2013 for their graphic novel Quai d’Orsay. The film adaptation of Quai d’Orsay premiered in November 2013 and won the special jury prize for best screenplay at the Saint-Sébastien Film Festival in September 2013. The film was also chosen as a special presentation at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. It is nominated for a 2014 César award for best adaptation.