Sylvia Calle was born in Bogotá, Colombia. A graduate of Arts Décoratifs and FEMIS (Image department, class of 1994), she first made a name for herself as a cinematographer on films such as François Ozon's “Action Vérité” and Lucia Sanchez's “Les mains de Violeta”. In 1999, she directed her first short film, “Ô Trouble”, which won the Fuji Prize at the Festival Tous Courts in Aix-en-Provence. In 2002, she directed “Le Cœur à l'ouvrage”, her second fiction short, followed by the documentary “La Vie dans une valise” in 2004.

In 1997, she taught cinematography and documentary directing at the University of Evry Val d’Essonne and became a trainer in introductory cinematography and semiology at Cifap in 2002.