Growing up in Switzerland, he had a seven-year career as a professional basketball player before studying social work and working in a youth detention centre. He then moved to New York and was a PA on the documentary series ‘The It Factor’ during the day while DJ’ing at night. After returning to Switzerland, he made his first documentary, ‘Sideman’ (2003). Working as a street social worker, he found the protagonists for his next documentary, ‘Geisendorf’ (2006), which won several awards. In 2010, he made his first fiction feature film with ‘Tapis rouge’, and in 2019 he directed ‘Edelweiss Revolution’.
Baillif has developed his own technique for directing non-professional actors.