Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette
Barbeau-Lavalette in 2015
Born	1979 (age 45–46) Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Occupation	Novelist, film director, screenwriter
Parent(s)	Manon Barbeau Philippe Lavalette
Relatives	Marcel Barbeau (paternal grandfather)

Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette (born in 1979) is a talented Canadian artist from Quebec. She is a novelist, a film director, and a screenwriter. This means she writes books, directs movies, and writes scripts for films.

Anaïs comes from a family of artists. Her mother, Manon Barbeau, is also a filmmaker. Her father, Philippe Lavalette, works with cameras for movies. Her grandfather, Marcel Barbeau, was a famous artist.

Anaïs started acting when she was a child. She appeared in TV shows like Le Club des 100 Watts. Later, she began making documentary films. These are films that show real-life stories. Some of her early documentaries include Les Petits princes des bidonvilles (2000).

She then moved on to making feature films, which are longer movies. Her first feature film was The Ring in 2007. Anaïs also writes novels. Her book La femme qui fuit (translated as Suzanne) was very popular. It was inspired by her grandmother's life.

Her film Inch'Allah (2012) is one of her most well-known works around the world.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette was born on February 8, 1979, in Montreal, Canada. Her parents were both involved in filmmaking. Her mother, Manon Barbeau, is a director, and her father, Philippe Lavalette, is a cinematographer. This means he works with cameras to film movies.

Her grandfather, Marcel Barbeau, was a Canadian artist. He was one of the first painters in Canada to create abstract art. This is art that doesn't show real objects but uses shapes, colors, and lines.

From Child Actor to Filmmaker

When Anaïs was young, she was a child actor. She appeared in television series. After that, she became interested in making films herself.

In 2000, she directed her first full-length documentary. It was called Les Petits princes des bidonvilles. This film followed young people from Honduras who were growing up in Montreal.

Studying and Traveling

After making her first documentary, Anaïs went to the Université de Montréal. She studied International Studies there. This means she learned about different countries and cultures.

Then, she went to the INIS to study Film Production. After her studies, Anaïs traveled to Ramallah, Palestine. She attended Birzeit University there. She also lived and studied in the West Bank area.

Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette's Films

Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette has directed many different kinds of films. She started with documentaries, which tell true stories. Later, she began making fiction films, which are movies with made-up stories.

Making Documentaries

Anaïs began her film career by directing documentaries. After spending a year in Honduras, she directed Les Petits princes des bidonvilles (2000). This film showed the lives of young Hondurans.

In 2002, Anaïs represented Canada in a special project called the United Nations Volunteers' Odyssey. She traveled around the world for this project. She made 15 short documentaries about people who volunteer to help others.

When she returned, Anaïs directed more documentaries. These included Si j'avais un chapeau (2005). This film explored the lives of children in four different countries. She also made Tap-Tap, which was a film about the Haitian community in Montreal.

Creating Fiction Films

In 2007, Anaïs released her first fiction film, The Ring. Critics liked this movie a lot. Her second fiction feature film, Inch'Allah, became her most famous work.

In 2020, she directed Goddess of the Fireflies (La déesse des mouches à feu). This movie was based on a book by Geneviève Pettersen. In 2022, she released White Dog (Chien blanc). This film was an adaptation of a 1970 novel by Romain Gary.

Short Films and Music Videos

Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette has also made many short films. These are shorter movies that can be of different types. She directed 15 short documentaries during her time with the United Nation's Volunteers' Odyssey. She has continued to make short films throughout her career.

Some of her short films include Seven Hours Three Times A Year (2012) and Ina Litovski (2012). She also made an 11-minute animated short film called Take Me (2014).

Anaïs is also involved with Wapikoni Mobile. Through this project, she has directed music videos for different musicians. These include Canadian singers Catherine Major and Thomas Hellman. She has also worked with hip hop artists like Samian and Dramatik.

Awards and Recognition

Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette's films have won many awards. Her documentary Si j'avais un chapeau (2005) was nominated for awards in 2006.

Her feature film, Le Ring (2007), was very popular with critics. It was shown at film festivals in Pusan and Berlin in 2008. Le Ring also won international awards. These included the New Talent Grand Prize and the Golden Lion Award at the Taipei Film Festival. It also won the Special Jury Award at the Vladivostok Film Festival in Russia. She also received the Best Director Award at the Miradas Madrid Film Festival.

Anaïs is also an activist for peace, human rights, and international development. In February 2013, she was named artist of the year by Les Artistes pour la paix. This is an organization in Montreal that celebrates art about peace. In the same month, her film Inch'Allah won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 2013 Berlin International Film Festival.