Born in 1985, Jean-Baptiste Durand grew up in Montpeyroux, a little village near Montpellier. After a difficult time in school, he nevertheless passed a literary baccalaureate with a speciality in art history.

He went on to study at the École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Montpellier. He was firstly interested in painting and drawing, but his work evolved towards film. His first short fiction, L'Amour sans le sexe, was his art school graduation film and is an autobiographical film about friendship, exploring the passionate relationship between three young people in a village.