Léa Pool facts for kids

Léa Pool (born September 8, 1950) is a talented Canadian and Swiss filmmaker. She has directed many documentaries and movies. Her films have won important awards. Léa Pool was the first woman to win the Best Film prize at the Quebec Cinema Awards. Her movies often challenge common ideas. They focus on individual stories rather than just romantic relationships.

Early Life and Education

Léa Pool was born in Soglio, Switzerland, in 1950. She grew up in Lausanne. Her father was a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust from Poland. Her mother's family was Christian and Swiss. Léa chose to use her mother's last name.

In 1975, she moved to Canada. She studied communications at the Université du Québec à Montréal. She earned her bachelor's degree in 1978. After that, she started directing many films. These included documentaries, short films, and TV shows. Pool became a well-known filmmaker and writer. She often explored themes like identity and belonging in her work.

A Career in Filmmaking

Léa Pool is known for her focus on female characters. She is seen as an important feminist filmmaker. Early in her career, she was inspired by author Marguerite Duras. Pool often explored themes of feeling left out.

Early Works and TV Shows

In 1978, Pool helped direct and edit a film called Laurent Lamerre, portier. Her first solo film was Strass Café in 1980. She wrote, directed, and produced it. From 1980 to 1983, she directed 10 episodes of a show called Planète. This show was for Radio-Québec (now Télé-Québec). It focused on different cultural groups. She also directed Éva en transit, a show about singer Éva.

Teaching and First Feature Films

From 1978 to 1983, Léa Pool taught film classes. She taught at the Université du Québec à Montréal. In 1984, she wrote and directed her first full-length movie. It was a fiction film called A Woman in Transit (La Femme de l’hôtel). Critics and audiences loved it.

She then wrote and directed Anne Trister in 1986. This film was about finding female identity. It was shown at fifteen international film festivals.

Award-Winning Films

In 1988, Pool's film Straight for the Heart (À corps perdu) came out. It was based on a novel by Yves Navarre. This film showed her importance in Canadian cinema. It won first prize at a festival in Namur, France. It also won an Award of Excellence in Halifax.

Pool directed her first full-length documentary in 1990. It was called Hotel Chronicles. In 1991, she directed The Savage Woman (La Demoiselle sauvage). She co-wrote it with Michel Langlois and Laurent Gagliardi.

In 1992, she directed a part of the film Montreal Stories (Montréal vu par...). This film was made by several directors. From 1992 to 1993, she wrote and directed Desire in Motion (Mouvements du désir). This film was nominated for eight Genie Awards. It was also shown at the Sundance Film Festival.

International Recognition

In October 1994, a festival in France showed all of her films. The French Minister of Culture honored her. She was given the title of Chevalier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres. This is a high honor in France.

From 1994 to 1995, she directed two documentaries for TV. They were part of a series about women's freedom. In 1996, she directed a short film called Lettre à ma fille. In 1997 and 1998, she directed a documentary about author Gabrielle Roy.

From 1998 to 1999, she co-wrote and directed Set Me Free (Emporte-moi). This was her sixth fiction feature film. It opened the Rendez-vous du Cinéma Québécois festival. It also won an award at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Since 1989, Pool has received many honors worldwide. Her work is recognized in Switzerland, France, Japan, Belgium, and Canada. In 1993, she received an award from the Université du Québec à Montréal.

Later Career and More Awards

In 2000, Pool directed her first English-language film, Lost and Delirious. It starred Piper Perabo and Mischa Barton. In 2002, she directed The Blue Butterfly. This film starred William Hurt. It was based on the life of Georges Brossard.

From 2004 to 2005, she led acting workshops. She also taught film direction at Université du Québec à Montréal. In 2006, she won three awards for her entire body of work. She received the Prix Albert-Tessier. This is the highest award from the Quebec government for cinema.

In 2007, she directed a documentary for CBC. She also directed the film Mommy Is at the Hairdresser's (Maman est chez le coiffeur). In 2008 and 2009, she directed The Last Escape (La Dernière Fugue).

From 2009 to 2011, she wrote and directed Pink Ribbons, Inc., a documentary. In 2014, she co-wrote and directed The Passion of Augustine (La passion d’Augustine). This film was a huge success in 2015. It won six awards at the Quebec Cinema Awards. Léa Pool was the first woman to win Best Film at this festival.

In 2016, she directed two more films. One was a documentary called Double Peine. The other was the film Worst Case, We Get Married (Et au pire on se mariera). This film was a Canadian and Swiss co-production. It was released in 2017.

Sharing Her Knowledge

Throughout her career, Pool has been a jury member at film festivals. These include festivals in Chicago, Locarno, and Taormina. She has also won the Jutra Prize three times. This award is for successful films shown outside Quebec.

Besides directing, Pool teaches screenwriting and directing. She teaches at the Université du Québec à Montréal. She also teaches at the Institut national de l'image et du son (INIS). Since 2004, she has led workshops for actors. In 2000, she taught a course called "Woman in a director’s chair."

In 2013, she became a Member of the Order of Canada. In 2017, she received the Prix Hommage de Ciné-Québec. Léa Pool believes that "every film must have its own signature." Her films often explore women's experiences.

Filmography

• Strass Cafè — 1980
• A Woman in Transit (La Femme de l'hôtel) — 1984
• Anne Trister — 1986
• Straight for the Heart (À corps perdu) — 1988
• Montreal Stories (Montréal vu par...) — 1991, segment "Rispondetemi"
• The Savage Woman (La Demoiselle sauvage) — 1991
• Desire in Motion (Mouvements du désir) — 1994
• Gabrielle Roy : L'auteure la plus célèbre du Québec — 1998
• Set Me Free (Emporte-moi) — 1999
• Lost and Delirious — 2001
• The Blue Butterfly (Le Papillon bleu) — 2004
• Mommy Is at the Hairdresser's (Maman est chez le coiffeur) — 2008
• The Last Escape (La dernière fugue) — 2010
• Pink Ribbons, Inc. — 2011
• The Passion of Augustine (La Passion d'Augustine) — 2015
• Worst Case, We Get Married (Et au pire, on se mariera) — 2017
• Hotel Silence (Hôtel silence) — 2024

Awards and Honors

Léa Pool has won many awards from critics and the public.

• In 1984, La femme de l’hôtel won Best Canadian Feature Film. This was at the Toronto International Film Festival.
• In 1986, she received the Audience Award for Anne Trister. This was at a women's film festival in France. She also won Best Feature Film at the Paris Lesbian and Feminist Film Festival.
• In 1988, Pool won three awards for À corps perdu, Emporte-moi, and her documentary on Gabrielle Roy.
• In 2001, Pool received the Jutra Award for Lost and Delirious.
• In 2006, Pool received the Prix Albert-Tessier.
• From 2002 to 2014, Pool won 14 awards.
• In 2017, she accepted the Vancouver Women in Film and Television Artistic Merit Award. This was at the Vancouver International Film Festival.

See also

• List of female film and television directors
• List of lesbian filmmakers
• List of LGBT-related films directed by women

Images for kids

• 

  A robot for kids