Denys Arcand

He was awarded the C.C. (Companion of the Order of Canada) on: October 29, 2004 and invested on June 10, 2005 from the Canadian Governor General. A leading light in Canadian cinema, he has continued to enthrall audiences around the world. Recognized as a superb director and master of dialogue, he has scripted and directed powerful films. He depicts important facets of our society and his critical examinations, imbued with a marvelous sense of humor, provide much food for thought. His work has been honored in many ways. "Jésus De Montréal" (Jesus of Montreal), for example, garnered 12 Genie awards and the Prix Du Jury at the Cannes Film Festival. However, he is best known for" Les invasions Barbers" (The Barbarian Invasions), which won the most awards in the history of Canadian cinema, including the Best Screenplay award at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. This is a promotion within the Order.

The overwhelming success of The Barbarian Invasions (2003), which marked both a return to the French language and to the characters who had peopled The Decline of the American Empire (1986), showed that Arcand had lost none of his powers of observation. The film won two awards at the Cannes Film Festival (best screenplay, and best actor for Marie-Josée Croze), Best Canadian Feature Film at the Toronto International Film Festival and the prestigious Oscar for Best Foreign Film.

Love & Human Remains (1993), his first feature in English, was followed by Stardom (2000), a film that looked at the world of fashion. Neither achieved the subtlety and texture of his earlier work.

Jesus of Montreal (1989) confirmed Arcand's international reputation, winning the Jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival. It won 10 Genies, including Best Picture and Director, and was nominated in the Best Foreign Film category by the Academy. Arcand then moved into English-language production in an attempt to break into a larger international market.

The New York Film Critics voted it Best Foreign Film in 1986 and it won Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay at the 1987 Genies. It was also nominated as Best Foreign Film by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science.

(1985).

He returned to commercial filmmaking after a hiatus of 10 years with Le crime d'Ovide Plouffe (1984), before achieving major success with the scathing comedy about sexual mores, The Decline of the American Empire (1986) (The Decline of the American Empire), a film that won numerous prizes, including the prestigious Critic's Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

He returned to the NFB to make a documentary on the 1980 referendum, Le confort et l'indifférence (1982), which revealed growing cynicism about the political process. It won the Québec Critics Prize.

He then moved to TV, scripting the Duplessis (1978) series for Radio-Canada and directing 3 episodes of Empire, Inc.

(1972), before leaving the NFB for the private sector.

La maudite galette (1972), Réjeanne Padovani (1973) and Gina (1975) were distinctive views of Québec society, original and provocative. All 3 used the gangster film as a source while distorting many of its conventions.

His documentary On est au coton (1970) was withdrawn from distribution by the National Film Board for its controversial content.

He joined the National Film Board (NFB) in 1963, where his feature-length documentary on the textile industry, On est au coton (1970), was so controversial it was suppressed for 6 years. He made another fine documentary, Québec: Duplessis et après. . .

One of Québec's most politically aware filmmakers, Denys Arcand studied history at Université de Montréal, where he co-directed Seul ou avec d'autres (1962) with Denis Héroux and co-written with Stéphane Venne.