Mireille Dansereau facts for kids

Mireille Dansereau, born on December 19, 1943, is a talented Canadian director and screenwriter. She is known for making movies in a style similar to her favorite filmmaker, John Cassavetes. Mireille Dansereau has won many awards during her long career, which has lasted over 50 years.

Mireille Dansereau's Life and Career

Mireille Dansereau was a dancer for 15 years before she started making films. After finishing her studies at the University of Montreal, she made her first short film. It was called Moi, un jour... and was shown at Expo 67. People really liked the film.

Early Films and Studies

Because her first film was so successful, Mireille Dansereau moved to London, England. There, she studied at the Royal College of Art. She earned her master's degree in Film and Television. While studying, she made another short film called Compromise. This film won first prize at a student film festival in Great Britain in 1969.

Returning to Quebec and Making History

After her studies, Dansereau worked in different film jobs. She was a researcher, a script assistant, and a sound recorder. She then returned to Quebec, Canada. There, she helped start a film company called L’Association Coopérative des Productions Audio-visuelles (ACPAV).

Mireille Dansereau made history by becoming the first woman in Quebec to direct a fiction feature film in the private sector. This film was called La vie rêvée (1971). It was produced by ACPAV. The movie was shown in many theaters and was praised by critics across Canada. It was a very important film for Canadian cinema.

Working with the National Film Board

After the success of Dream Life, Mireille Dansereau joined the NFB. At the NFB, she directed two feature documentaries. These were part of a series called En tant que femmes (As Women). The films were J'me marie, j'me marie pas (1973) and Famille et variations (1977).

She later returned to making films in the private sector. She directed L'Arrache-Coeur (1979), which looked closely at a marriage having problems. This film earned her a nomination for a Genie Award for Best Screenplay. She also directed Le Sourd dans la ville (1987). This film was an experimental movie based on a novel by Marie-Claire Blais.

Recent Recognition

In 2022, Mireille Dansereau received a very special award. She was named the winner of the Prix Albert-Tessier. This award celebrates a person's lifetime achievements in the film industry. It shows how much her work has meant to Canadian cinema.

Mireille Dansereau's Filmography

Mireille Dansereau has directed many different types of films. Here are some of her works:

Fiction Films

• Moi, un jour... (Short film, 1967)
• Compromise (Short film, 1968)
• Coccinelle (Short film, 1970)
• Dream Life (La Vie rêvée) (1972)
• Le Père idéal (Short film, 1974)
• Rappelle-toi (Short film co-directed with Vartkes Cholokian, 1975)
• Heartbreak (L'Arrache-cœur) (1979)
• Deaf to the City (Le sourd dans la ville) (1987)
• Duo pour une soliste (1997)
• O comme obsession (aka O-Obsession) (Short film, 1999)
• La vie d'abord (Short film, 1999)
• L'idée noire (Short film, 2000)

Documentary Films

• Forum (1968)
• Les marchés de Londres (Short film, 1969)
• Couples - Étude pour un lit et une baignoire (Short film, 1971)
• J'me marie, j'me marie pas (1972)
• Famille et variations (1977)
• Germaine Guèvremont (Short film, 1980)
• Les Baltes à la recherche d'un pays (1980)
• Les Nordiques ou un peuple sans artifice (1980)
• Un pays à comprendre (1981)
• Le Frère André (1982)
• Entre elle et moi (Short film, 1992)
• Les seins dans la tête (Short film, 1994)
• Les cheveux en quatre (Short film, 1996)
• Danny le montagnais (Short film, 2001)
• Eva (Short film, 2003)
• Louisiane, pour mémoire (2005)
• Les cerisiers ont envahi les espaces comme incendie (Short film, 2010)