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Denys Desjardins
Alma materConcordia University
Occupation(s)Director, producer, screenwriter, film historian

Denys Desjardins (born 1966 in Montreal, Quebec), is a film director, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor and film historian for more than twenty years. After completing studies in literature, film and communications, he directed several acclaimed films.

Career

Desjardins received the Quebec Film Critic (Association québécoise des critiques de cinéma, or AQCC) award for best short film two years in a row for La Dame aux poupées (The Doll Lady) (1996)[1] and for Boris Lehman, filmmaker (1997), a portrait of Boris Lehman the Belgian filmmaker for whom life is a reason to make films, and making films is a reason for living. He then joined the National Film Board of Canada, where he directed Almanach 1999-2000 and My Eye for a Camera – nominated for a Jutra Award for best documentary in 2003 – as well as Being Human and Rebel with a Camera, which won him the Quebec Film Critic award for best medium-length documentary.

Desjardins has also produced and co-directed the short films Me Bob Robert and Peter and the Penny; the latter received the award for best short fiction film at the 2006 Festival Images en vue. Desjardins’ third feature-length film, The Great Resistance, was nominated for a Jutra Award for best documentary in 2008. His 2011 documentary (The Private Life of Cinema) follows the path of filmmakers who never gave up on their dream to produce feature-length fictions films and create a Quebec film industry.[2] With Joanne Robertson, he created a web production, Making Movie History: A Portrait in 61 Parts, to celebrate the National Film Board of Canada's 75th anniversary in 2014.[3]

Selected films

Year French Title English Title Roles Theme Others Awards
1996 La Dame aux poupées The Doll Lady director-screenwriter
producer 		Mme. Boudreault shares her two-story cottage with over 400 dolls, which give her free rein to dream and explore her fantasies cinematography:
Hélène Choquette, Denis-Noel Mostert
editing: Vincent Guignard 		Best short film, Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois[1]
1998 Contre le temps et l'effacement, Boris Lehman... Boris Lehman, filmmaker director-screenwriter
producer
cinematographer 		Friends, filmmakers, critics, and crew offer their understanding of Boris Lehman, Belgian filmmaker [4] Best short film, Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois
1999 Almanach Almanach 1999-2000 director-screenwriter At the brink of year 2000, a time when Nostradamus and other prophets predicted doomsday, a cosmic meltdown, Almanach 1999-2000 takes a humorous look at the world of divination.
2001 Mon oeil pour une caméra My Eye for a Camera director-screenwriter
cinematographer 		Fascinated by the power of the camera and obsessed with the theories of Russian film pioneer Dziga Vertov, a filmmaker decides to get a camera eye to replace the real eye he lost as a child. Nominated, Jutra Award for best documentary
2003 Moi Robert "Bob" Me Bob Robert director-screenwriter
producer
cinematographer
2005 Histoire d'être humain Being Human director-screenwriter
cinematographer 		[5]
2005 Pierre et le Sou Peter and the Penny director-screenwriter
producer
cinematographer 		Celebrating his 50th birthday, intellectually challenged Peter's family want to break open his piggy bank to find a rare and valuable American penny. Co-director, co-writer, co-producer: Stéphane Thibault
Co-cinematographer: Julie Perron
Editor: Stéphane Lafleur 		Best short fiction film, 2006 Festival Images en vue
2006 Le direct avant la lettre Rebels with a Camera director-screenwriter Where does cinéma vérité come from? Who were its predecessors and what did they create? Compelled by the urge to get closer to the people in front of the camera, cinema vérité sprouted in a context of unprecedented creative freedom. Best medium-length documentary, Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois
2007 Au pays des colons The Great Resistance director-screenwriter
cinematographer 		In the 1930s, in the throes of the Great Depression, the government of Quebec relocated more than 80,000 citizens to found a new settlement in the virgin forests of Quebec's Abitibi region. Nominated, Jutra Award for best documentary [6]
2008 Retour en Amérique Back to the New World director-screenwriter
producer
2009 De l'office au box-office From NFB to Box-Office director-screenwriter
producer 		The film documents the development of Quebec cinema, from the founding of the National Film Board of Canada in 1939 to the creation of the Canadian Film Development Corporation in 1968, recounting the stories of Quebec filmmakers who never gave up on their dream to produce feature-length fiction films, and creating a Quebec film industry. [7]
2011 La vie privée du cinéma The Private Life of Cinema director-screenwriter
producer 		An in-depth two part exploration of the evolution of the private Quebec film industry, through the eyes of more than 50 industry professionals. [2]
2013 Kapadokya Kapadokya director-screenwriter
producer
cinematographer
2014 Mes 7 lieux producer
2015 La guerre des bleuets The War of the Blueberries producer
2017 La Zone The Zone director-screenwriter
producer
cinematographer 		[8][9]
2020 Le Château The Castle director-screenwriter
producer
 Nominated, Prix Iris for best editing[10]
2021 L'industrie de la vieille$$e The Industry of Oldne$$ director-screenwriter
producer
cinematographer 		Best digital component for a documentary show or series, Prix Gémeaux
2022 J'ai placé ma mère I Lost My Mom director-screenwriter
producer
cinematographer 		[11]

References

  1. ^ a b "La Plante Humaine wins best feature-film honors at Rendez-vous du Cinéma Québécois". The Gazette. Montreal, Quebec, Canada. CP. 10 March 1997. p. E5. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  2. ^ a b Perron, Éric (Spring 2011). "Denys Desjardins Producteur, scénariste et réalisateur de La Vie privée du cinéma" (PDF). Ciné-Bulles (in French). Association des cinémas parallèles du Québec. 29 (2): 28–35. ISSN 1923-3221. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  3. ^ Brownstein, Bill (7 June 2014). "Honouring 61 NFB 'Dreamers'". The Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Postmedia News. p. E3. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  4. ^ Legrand, Dominique (15 March 2000). "Le documentaire sous le totem "Misère au Borinage" Le Centre du film sur l'art fête ses vingt ans Paul Meyer, artisan au regard aigu". Le Soir (in French). Belgium. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  5. ^ "Being Human/Histoire d'être humain". National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 2011-03-18.
  6. ^ Lavoie, André (20 May 2008). "Cinéma - Homme de parole(s)". Le Devoir (in French). Montréal, Québec, Canada. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  7. ^ Kelly, Brendan (18 February 2009). "Curtain rises on Quebec film festival tonight". The Gazette. Montreal, Quebec, Canada. p. D5. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  8. ^ Gajan, Philippe (2017-10-05). "Review: 'The Zone'". FNC. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
  9. ^ Dugas, Dominique (2018-02-27). "The Zone: Film Review". Rendez-vous Quebec Cinema. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
  10. ^ "Finalistes: 'Le Château'". Quebec Cinéma. 2022-11-24. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  11. ^ Moyle, Allegra (2022-11-24). "Review: 'J'ai placé ma mère : Love as Lifeblood'". Point of View. Retrieved 2022-12-06.

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