Denys Arcand facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Denys Arcand
|
|
|---|---|
Arcand at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival
|
|
| Born |
Georges-Henri Denys Arcand
June 25, 1941 Deschambault, Quebec, Canada
|
| Alma mater | Université de Montréal |
| Occupation | Film director, screenwriter, film producer |
| Years active | 1962–present |
| Spouse(s) | Denise Robert |
| Relatives |
|
| Awards | César Award for Best Director 2003 The Barbarian Invasions César Award for Best Film 2003 The Barbarian Invasions César Award for Best Writing 2003 The Barbarian Invasions Genie Award for Best Direction 1986 The Decline of the American Empire 1989 Jesus of Montreal 2003 The Barbarian Invasions Genie Award for Best Original Screenplay 1986 The Decline of the American Empire 1989 Jesus of Montreal 2003 The Barbarian Invasions |
Denys Arcand (born June 25, 1941) is a famous Canadian filmmaker. He is known for making movies that make people think. His films often explore big ideas and challenge viewers.
Over four decades, he became one of the most recognized directors from Quebec. He has won many awards for his "personal, challenging, and intellectual films."
His movie The Barbarian Invasions won an Academy Award in 2004. This award was for Best Foreign Film. Two of his other films, The Decline of the American Empire and Jesus of Montreal, were also nominated. This makes him the only French-Canadian director to have so many films nominated and one win.
Arcand has also won awards at the Cannes Film Festival. These include the Best Screenplay Award and the Jury Prize. In 2004, he won three César Awards for The Barbarian Invasions. These were for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film. He is the only Canadian director to achieve this.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Denys Arcand was born in Deschambault, Quebec, Canada. He grew up in a small village near Quebec City. His family was very religious.
He went to a special school run by Jesuits for nine years. When he was a teenager, his family moved to Montreal. He dreamed of becoming a professional tennis player.
However, while studying history at the Université de Montréal, he discovered filmmaking. This new interest gave him a clear direction. He worked on student films with friends like Denis Héroux.
Filmmaking Career
In 1963, Denys Arcand joined the National Film Board of Canada. This is a famous place where Canadian films are made. There, he created many award-winning documentaries in French.
He was very interested in social issues. In 1970, he made a documentary called Cotton Mill, Treadmill. This film showed how textile workers were treated unfairly. The film caused a big stir and was not shown publicly for several years. Even so, the attention helped his career.
Arcand also worked on TV shows, like Duplessis. This was a historical series he wrote about a former Premier of Quebec.
Major Films and Awards
In the early 1970s, Arcand directed several feature films that were praised by critics. He then returned to making documentaries. In 1982, his documentary Comfort and Indifference won an award from Quebec film critics.
In 1986, he wrote and directed The Decline of the American Empire. This film became the highest-earning Canadian film at the time. It won awards for best film, director, and screenplay at the Canadian Genie Awards. It also won the "International Critics Prize" at the Cannes Film Festival. This film was the first Canadian movie nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Three years later, in 1989, Arcand made Jesus of Montreal. This film also won the same three Genie awards. It also won the Jury Prize at Cannes. This movie earned him a second Academy Award nomination. He was the first Canadian director to achieve this.
In 1993, Arcand directed his first English film, Love and Human Remains. He made another English film, Stardom, in 2000.
He then spent two years writing the script for The Barbarian Invasions. This film was released in 2003. It won the Best Screenplay Award at Cannes. It was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Most notably, it won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Denys Arcand was also nominated for an Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay. The Barbarian Invasions also won three César Awards in France.
Arcand's film Days of Darkness was chosen to close the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. After this, he took a break from directing feature films for seven years. He returned in 2014 with Le règne de la beauté.
Awards and Honours
Denys Arcand has received many important awards and honours. In 1988, he became an Officer of the Order of Canada. This is a very high honour in Canada. He was promoted to Companion in 2005.
In 1990, the Government of France gave him the Legion of Honour. This is a top French award. He also received the title of Knight of the National Order of Quebec from his home province.
In 1995, Arcand received a Governor General's Performing Arts Award. This award recognizes his lifetime achievements in art. In 2004, France named him a Commander of L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. This is France's highest cultural honour. Also in 2004, Arcand was added to Canada's Walk of Fame.
He is also a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. In 2023, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Directors Guild of Canada.
Personal Life
Denys Arcand is married to Denise Robert, who is also a film producer. They adopted a baby boy from China named Carter.
His brother Bernard Arcand (1945–2009) was a professor who studied people and cultures. His youngest brother Gabriel Arcand (born 1949) is a well-known Canadian actor. His great-uncle was named Adrien Arcand.
Filmography
Director
- À l'est d'Eaton - 1959, short film co-directed with Stéphane Venne
- Alone or With Others (Seul ou avec d'autres) - 1962, co-directed with Denis Héroux and Stéphane Venne
- Dirty Money (La maudite galette) - 1972
- Réjeanne Padovani - 1973
- Gina - 1975
- Empire, Inc. - 1983, TV miniseries codirected with Douglas Jackson
- The Crime of Ovide Plouffe (Le Crime d'Ovide Plouffe) - 1984
- The Decline of the American Empire (Le Déclin de l'empire américain) - 1986
- Jesus of Montreal (Jésus de Montréal) - 1989
- Les lettres de la religieuse portugaise - 1991, TV movie
- Montreal Stories - 1992, segment "Vue d'ailleurs"
- Love and Human Remains - 1993
- Poverty and Other Delights (Joyeux Calvaire) - 1996
- Stardom - 2000
- The Barbarian Invasions (Les invasions barbares) - 2003
- Days of Darkness (L'Âge des ténèbres) - 2007
- An Eye for Beauty (Le règne de la beauté) - 2014
- The Fall of the American Empire (La chute de l'empire américain) - 2018
- Testament - 2023
Documentaries
- Champlain - 1964, short film
- Québec 1603 - Samuel de Champlain - 1964, short film
- Les Montréalistes - 1965, short film
- Montréal, un jour d'été - 1965, short film
- La route de l'Ouest - 1965, short film
- Volleyball - 1966, short film
- Parcs atlantiques - 1967, short film
- Quebec: Duplessis and After (Québec : Duplessis et après...) - 1972
- La lutte des travailleurs d'hôpitaux - 1976, short film
- Cotton Mill, Treadmill (On est au coton) - 1976 (made 1970 but withheld from release)
- Comfort and Indifference (Le confort et l'indifférence) - 1982
Acting
- It Isn't Jacques Cartier's Fault (C'est pas la faute à Jacques Cartier) - 1968
- Nominingue... depuis qu'il existe - 1968
- My Eye (Mon oeil) - 1971
- Dirty Money (La maudite galette) - 1972
- Réjeanne Padovani - 1973
- Pigs Are Seldom Clean (On n'engraisse pas les cochons à l'eau claire) - 1973
- Normande (La Tête de Normande St-Onge) - 1975
- Night Zoo (Un zoo la nuit) - 1987
- Jesus of Montreal (Jésus de Montréal) - 1989
- Montreal Stories (Montréal vu par...) - 1991
- Léolo - 1992
- Un gars, une fille - 2000
- The Barbarian Invasions (Les Invasions barbares) - 2003
- Tideline - 2004
- Idole instantanée - 2005
- Les Bougon - 2004-06
- Days of Darkness (L'Âge des ténèbres) - 2007
- Barney's Version - 2010
- Adam & Ève - 2012
- Kiss Me Like a Lover (Embrasse-moi comme tu m'aimes) - 2016
- Les pêcheurs - 2016, TV series
See also
In Spanish: Denys Arcand para niños
