Denys Arcand
Encyclopedia
Georges-Henri Denys Arcand, (dəni aʁkɑ̃; born June 25, 1941) is a Canadian film director
, screenwriter
and producer
. He has won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film
in 2004 for The Barbarian Invasions. He has also been nominated three further times, including two in the Best Foreign Film category for The Decline of the American Empire in 1987 and Jesus of Montreal
in 1990, becoming the only French-Canadian director in history to receive this amount of nominations and, subsequently, winning the award. Also for The Barbarian Invasions, he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay, losing to Sofia Coppola
for Lost in Translation
. Denys Arcand has directed three of the five Canadian movies to ever receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film. During his three decades career, he became the most renowned and accomplished Quebec's director, winning many awards from the Cannes Film Festival
and many other prestigious awards. He won three César Awards in 2004 for The Barbarian Invasions, including Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Film.
, Quebec
, Canada
. He grew up in a devoutly Roman Catholic home in a village about 40 km southwest of Quebec City
. He attended Jesuit school for nine years. Entering his teen years, the family moved to Montreal and although he dreamed about being a professional tennis player, while studying for a Masters Degree in history at the Université de Montréal
he became involved in film making that gave him a new sense of direction. During his university days, he and several friends would drive 600 km to New York City
every few months to take in European films playing there that were not available in Quebec.
where he produced several award-winning documentaries in his native French language
. A social activist, he made a feature-length documentary in 1970 titled On est au coton
(We work in Cotton) that showed the exploitation of textile workers. The film caused an uproar that resulted in it not being distributed publicly for several years. Arcand received such publicity that it gave his fledgling career a great boost. He also worked on some television series, notably Duplessis
, a historical work he wrote (but did not direct) about Premier Maurice Duplessis
.
During the early part of the 1970s Arcand produced a number of feature films that received critical acclaim. Arcand returned to directing documentaries and did no work for television. In 1982, his documentary, Le confort et l'indifférence
won the Best Film prize from the Quebec Film Critics' Association. In 1986 he wrote and directed what was until then the highest grossing film in Quebec (and Canadian) history, The Decline of the American Empire (Le Déclin de l'empire américain). At the Canadian Genie Awards, it captured best film, best director, and best writer of an original screenplay. It also won the "International Critics Prize" at the Cannes Film Festival
and became the first Canadian feature film nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
. Three years later Arcand repeated this award-garnering performance with his widely acclaimed 1989 film Jésus de Montréal (Jesus of Montreal) winning the same three Genie awards, plus the "Jury Prize" at Cannes. The movie earned him a second Academy Award nomination, becoming the first Canadian director to accomplish this achievement.
Arcand produced and directed his first English language film in 1993, titled Love and Human Remains
, and did so again in 2000, with the film, Stardom
, which opened the Toronto International Film Festival
. He then spent two years writing the script for what many claim is his finest piece of cinematic writing to date, The Barbarian Invasions (Les invasions barbares). Released in 2003, the film won Arcand the Best Screenplay
Award at the Cannes Film Festival, was nominated for a Golden Globe Award
as Best Foreign Language Film and won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
. In addition, Denys Arcand was nominated for an Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay.
The Barbarian Invasions won France's 2004 César Award for Best Picture and Best Director
plus the César Award
for Best Original Screenplay.
Arcand's film Days of Darkness (L'âge des ténèbres) was chosen to close the 2007 Cannes Film Festival
. The press opening was subdued, as opposed to receiving a standing ovation as with The Barbarian Invasions and the subsequent reviews were mixed.
and was promoted to Companion in 2005. In 1990 the Government of France
awarded him the Legion of Honour. He finally earned from his home province one of its highest distinctions, the title of Knight of the National Order of Quebec
, in 2000. In February 2004, the government of France named Denys Arcand a Commander of L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, that nation's highest cultural honour. In 2004 Arcand was also inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame
. He is a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
.
, his producer/wife, have had children. He was 55 years old when they adopted an orphaned baby girl from China
named Mingxia. His brother Bernard Arcand
(1945–2009) was a Professor of anthropology
. His youngest brother Gabriel Arcand
(b. 1949) is a noted Canadian actor. Denys Arcand is a lapsed Catholic
.
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
. He has won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
in 2004 for The Barbarian Invasions. He has also been nominated three further times, including two in the Best Foreign Film category for The Decline of the American Empire in 1987 and Jesus of Montreal
Jesus of Montreal
-Plot and allegory:The film centers on a group of actors in Montreal, Canada who are gathered by Daniel, an actor hired by a Roman Catholic site of pilgrimage to present a Passion play in its gardens....
in 1990, becoming the only French-Canadian director in history to receive this amount of nominations and, subsequently, winning the award. Also for The Barbarian Invasions, he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay, losing to Sofia Coppola
Sofia Coppola
Sofia Carmina Coppola is an American screenwriter, film director, actress, and producer.In 2003 she received the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Lost in Translation, and became the third woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for Directing...
for Lost in Translation
Lost in Translation
Lost in translation may refer to:Film* Lost in Translation , a 2003 film directed by Sofia Coppola** Lost in Translation , the soundtrack accompanying the filmLiterature...
. Denys Arcand has directed three of the five Canadian movies to ever receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film. During his three decades career, he became the most renowned and accomplished Quebec's director, winning many awards from the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
and many other prestigious awards. He won three César Awards in 2004 for The Barbarian Invasions, including Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Film.
Early life
Arcand was born in DeschambaultDeschambault, Quebec
Deschambault-Grondines is a municipality with 2032 inhabitants according 2006 census in the Canadian province of Quebec, located in Portneuf Regional County Municipality. The municipality was incorporated in 2002 by the merger of the formerly independent villages of Deschambault and Grondines.The...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He grew up in a devoutly Roman Catholic home in a village about 40 km southwest of Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
. He attended Jesuit school for nine years. Entering his teen years, the family moved to Montreal and although he dreamed about being a professional tennis player, while studying for a Masters Degree in history at the Université de Montréal
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal is a public francophone research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...
he became involved in film making that gave him a new sense of direction. During his university days, he and several friends would drive 600 km to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
every few months to take in European films playing there that were not available in Quebec.
Career
In 1963, he joined the National Film Board of CanadaNational Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
where he produced several award-winning documentaries in his native French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. A social activist, he made a feature-length documentary in 1970 titled On est au coton
On est au coton
On est au coton is a documentary film directed by Denys Arcand in 1970, about the conditions of workers in the textile industry in Quebec.-Suppression:...
(We work in Cotton) that showed the exploitation of textile workers. The film caused an uproar that resulted in it not being distributed publicly for several years. Arcand received such publicity that it gave his fledgling career a great boost. He also worked on some television series, notably Duplessis
Duplessis
Duplessis was a historical television series in Quebec, Canada, that aired in 1978. It tells the story of Maurice Duplessis, the controversial premier of Quebec from 1936 to 1939 and 1944 to 1959. It is one of the most famous mini-series in Quebec television history...
, a historical work he wrote (but did not direct) about Premier Maurice Duplessis
Maurice Duplessis
Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis served as the 16th Premier of the Canadian province of Quebec from 1936 to 1939 and 1944 to 1959. A founder and leader of the highly conservative Union Nationale party, he rose to power after exposing the misconduct and patronage of Liberal Premier Louis-Alexandre...
.
During the early part of the 1970s Arcand produced a number of feature films that received critical acclaim. Arcand returned to directing documentaries and did no work for television. In 1982, his documentary, Le confort et l'indifférence
Le confort et l'indifférence
Le confort et l'indifférence is a 1981 documentary film by Denys Arcand, offering an analysis of the 1980 Quebec referendum, in which "sovereignty-association" was defeated as a first step to eventual secession from Canada...
won the Best Film prize from the Quebec Film Critics' Association. In 1986 he wrote and directed what was until then the highest grossing film in Quebec (and Canadian) history, The Decline of the American Empire (Le Déclin de l'empire américain). At the Canadian Genie Awards, it captured best film, best director, and best writer of an original screenplay. It also won the "International Critics Prize" at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
and became the first Canadian feature film nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
. Three years later Arcand repeated this award-garnering performance with his widely acclaimed 1989 film Jésus de Montréal (Jesus of Montreal) winning the same three Genie awards, plus the "Jury Prize" at Cannes. The movie earned him a second Academy Award nomination, becoming the first Canadian director to accomplish this achievement.
Arcand produced and directed his first English language film in 1993, titled Love and Human Remains
Love and Human Remains
Love and Human Remains is a 1993 Canadian film directed by Denys Arcand and based on Brad Fraser's stage play Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love. Fraser also wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation...
, and did so again in 2000, with the film, Stardom
Stardom
Stardom is a 2000 Canadian film written by J.Jacob Potashnik & Denys Arcand and directed by Denys Arcand and starring Jessica Paré and Dan Aykroyd. It tells the story of a young girl who tries to cope with her rise to stardom after being discovered by a fashion agency...
, which opened the Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
. He then spent two years writing the script for what many claim is his finest piece of cinematic writing to date, The Barbarian Invasions (Les invasions barbares). Released in 2003, the film won Arcand the Best Screenplay
Best Screenplay Award (Cannes Film Festival)
The Best Screenplay Award is an award presented at the Cannes Film Festival. It is chosen by the jury from the 'official section' of movies at the festival...
Award at the Cannes Film Festival, was nominated for a Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
as Best Foreign Language Film and won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
. In addition, Denys Arcand was nominated for an Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay.
The Barbarian Invasions won France's 2004 César Award for Best Picture and Best Director
César Award for Best Director
This is the list of winners and nominees of the César Award for Best Director .-1970s:-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:...
plus the César Award
César Award
The César Award is the national film award of France, first given out in 1975. The nominations are selected by the members of the Académie des arts et techniques du cinéma....
for Best Original Screenplay.
Arcand's film Days of Darkness (L'âge des ténèbres) was chosen to close the 2007 Cannes Film Festival
2007 Cannes Film Festival
The 2007 Cannes Film Festival, the sixtieth, ran from 16 to 27 May 2007. Wong Kar-wai's My Blueberry Nights opened the festival, and Denys Arcand's The Age of Ignorance closed...
. The press opening was subdued, as opposed to receiving a standing ovation as with The Barbarian Invasions and the subsequent reviews were mixed.
Awards
In 1988, he was made an Officer of the Order of CanadaOrder of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
and was promoted to Companion in 2005. In 1990 the Government of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
awarded him the Legion of Honour. He finally earned from his home province one of its highest distinctions, the title of Knight of the National Order of Quebec
National Order of Quebec
The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as l'Ordre national du Québec, and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Quebec...
, in 2000. In February 2004, the government of France named Denys Arcand a Commander of L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, that nation's highest cultural honour. In 2004 Arcand was also inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame
Canada's Walk of Fame
Canada's Walk of Fame , located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a walk of fame that acknowledges the achievements and accomplishments of successful Canadians...
. He is a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts is a Canadian arts-related institution founded in 1880, under the patronage of the Governor General of Canada, Sir John Douglas Sutherland Campbell, the Marquess of Lorne. Canadian landscape painter Homer Watson was a member and president of the Academy...
.
Personal life
Married a second time, neither Arcand nor Denise RobertDenise Robert
Denise Robert is a Canadian film producer, co-founder and President of Cinémaginaire with Daniel Louis. She is currently married to Denys Arcand and she has produced many of his films. Robert has won many awards, including four Genie Awards. She was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture...
, his producer/wife, have had children. He was 55 years old when they adopted an orphaned baby girl from China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
named Mingxia. His brother Bernard Arcand
Bernard Arcand
Bernard Arcand was a French-Canadian anthropologist. Author and communicator, he was a retired professor of the anthropology department of Laval University....
(1945–2009) was a Professor of anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
. His youngest brother Gabriel Arcand
Gabriel Arcand
Gabriel Arcand is a Canadian actor. He is the brother of film director Denys Arcand.He won the Genie Award for Best Actor at the 6th Genie Awards in 1985, for his performance in Le Crime d'Ovide Plouffe....
(b. 1949) is a noted Canadian actor. Denys Arcand is a lapsed Catholic
Lapsed Catholic
A lapsed Catholic is a person who has ceased practicing the Catholic faith, in the sense of attending Mass. Such a person may still identify as a Catholic.-"Lapsed Catholic" and "ex-Catholic":...
.
Film
- A l'est d'Eaton (Short film Co-Directed with Stéphane Venne, 1959)
- Seul ou avec d'autres (Co-Directed with Denis Héroux and Stéphane Venne, 1962)
- La maudite galette (1972)
- Réjeanne Padovani (1973)
- Gina (1975)
- Empire, Inc. (TV mini-series episodes 2,5,6, 1983) (Episodes 1,3,4 directed by Douglas Jackson)
- Le crime d'Ovide Plouffe (1984)
- Le déclin de l'empire américainLe Déclin de l'empire américainThe Decline of the American Empire is a 1986 Québécois comedy/drama film directed by Denys Arcand. It was followed by a sequel, The Barbarian Invasions in 2003.-Synopsis:...
(1986) - Jésus de Montréal (1989)
- Les lettres de la religieuse portugaise (TV movie, 1991)
- Vue d'ailleurs (TV episode of Montréal vu par..., 1992)
- Love and Human RemainsLove and Human RemainsLove and Human Remains is a 1993 Canadian film directed by Denys Arcand and based on Brad Fraser's stage play Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love. Fraser also wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation...
(1993) - Joyeux Calvaire (1996)
- StardomStardomStardom is a 2000 Canadian film written by J.Jacob Potashnik & Denys Arcand and directed by Denys Arcand and starring Jessica Paré and Dan Aykroyd. It tells the story of a young girl who tries to cope with her rise to stardom after being discovered by a fashion agency...
(2000) - Les invasions barbaresLes Invasions barbaresThe Barbarian Invasions is a 2003 French Canadian comedy-drama film directed by Denys Arcand. It is the sequel to Arcand's earlier film The Decline of the American Empire and is followed by Days of Darkness. The film was produced by companies from both Canada and France, including Telefilm Canada,...
(2003) - L'âge des ténèbres (2007)
Documentaries
- Champlain (Short film, 1964)
- Québec 1603 - Samuel de Champlain (Short film, 1964)
- Les Montréalistes (Short film, 1965)
- Montréal, un jour d'été (Short film, 1965)
- La route de l'Ouest (Short film, 1965)
- Volleyball (Short film, 1966)
- Parcs atlantiques (Short film, 1967)
- On est au cotonOn est au cotonOn est au coton is a documentary film directed by Denys Arcand in 1970, about the conditions of workers in the textile industry in Quebec.-Suppression:...
(1970) - Québec : Duplessis et après... (1972)
- La lutte des travailleurs d'hôpitaux (Short film, 1976)
- Le confort et l'indifférenceLe confort et l'indifférenceLe confort et l'indifférence is a 1981 documentary film by Denys Arcand, offering an analysis of the 1980 Quebec referendum, in which "sovereignty-association" was defeated as a first step to eventual secession from Canada...
(1982)
Further reading
- Michel Coulombe, Denys Arcand. La vraie nature du cinéaste, (entretiens), Montréal: Boréal 1993
- André Loiselle, Brian McIllroy (éd.), Auteur/Provocateur. The Films of Denys Arcand, Westport: Praeger 1995
External links
- Denys Arcand at the Canadian Film Encyclopedia