Frédéric Auburtin was born and raised in Marseille, France, where he studied music (piano, drums) and literature before transitioning to the film industry in the early 80s.
He made his debut as an assistant director for the film Rouge midi, which was directed by Robert Guédiguian.
In the 80s and 90s he worked as an assistant director with several directors for various movies, including Maurice Pialat (Under the Sun of Satan), Luigi Comencini (La Bohème), Richard Heffron (La Révolution française), Bertrand Blier (Merci la vie), Jean-Jacques Annaud (The Lover), Claude Berri (Germinal and Lucie Aubrac), Jean-Paul Rappeneau (The Horseman on the Roof) and Randall Wallace (The Man in the Iron Mask).
In 1999, he debuted as a director, co-directing Un pont entre deux rives with Gérard Depardieu, for which he also composed the soundtrack.
Released in North America at the peak of the scandals of the 2015 FIFA corruption case, the film grossed very badly in the box-office (a mere $918 in its opening weekend)[3] and received overwhelming dislike from critics around the world.