Anne Claire Poirier O.C. (born 6 June 1932) is a Canadian film producer, director and screenwriter.

Biography

Poirier was born in

Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec Saint-Hyacinthe (; French: ) is a city in southwestern Quebec east of Montreal on the Yamaska River. The population as of the 2021 Canadian census was 57,239. The city is located in Les Maskoutains Regional County Municipality of the Montérég ...

. She was the only female filmmaker on the National Film Board of Canada in the 1960s and 1970s. Her first film, the black and white surrealist fictional documentary ''De mère en fille'' (1968), critiques social codes of motherhood and investigates the psychological experience of pregnancy. The film had a significant influence on the nascent feminist movement in Canada. ''De mère en fille'' is the first feature film ever directed by a French-Canadian woman. Poirier's film '' Mourir à tue-tête'' competed in the

Un Certain Regard (, meaning 'a certain glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films w ...

section at the

1979 Cannes Film Festival The 32nd Cannes Film Festival was held from 10 to 24 May 1979. The Palme d'Or went to ''Apocalypse Now'' by Francis Ford Coppola, which was screened as a work in progress, and '' Die Blechtrommel (The Tin Drum)'' by Volker Schlöndorff. The fest ...

. ''Mourir à tue-tête,'' which aboards the subject of rape, remains Poirier's best known film. Her 1974 film ''Les Filles du Roi'' explores a history of masculinity in Quebec. In 1996, she directed the feature-length documentary '' Tu as crié: Let me go'' to understand the events that led to the murder of her daughter.

Awards and honours

In 1988, she was awarded the

Prix Albert-Tessier The Prix Albert-Tessier is an award by the Government of Quebec that is part of the Prix du Québec, given to individuals for an outstanding career in Quebec cinema. It is awarded to script-writing, acting, composing music, directing, producing an ...

. ''Tu as crié: Let me go'' received numerous awards including the

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for scu ...

for Best Feature Length Documentary. In 2001, Poirier received a

Governor General's Performing Arts Award A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

for Lifetime Artistic Achievement in film. She was appointed an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

in 2003.

Filmography

Fiction

*''La fin des étés'' - 1964, short *''Le savoir-faire s'impose'' - 1971, short *''

Before the Time Comes ''Before the Time Comes'' (french: Le Temps de l'avant) is a Canadian drama film, directed by Anne Claire Poirier and released in 1975.Charles-Henri Ramond"Temps de l’avant, Le – Film de Anne Claire Poirier" ''Films du Québec'', April 27, 200 ...

(Le temps de l'avant)'' - 1975 *''

A Scream from Silence ''A Scream from Silence'' (french: Mourir à tue-tête) is a 1979 Canadian drama film directed by Anne Claire Poirier and starring Julie Vincent. It competed in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival. The film was selecte ...

(Mourir à tue-tête)'' - 1979 *''

Beyond Forty ''Beyond Forty'' (french: La Quarantaine) is a Canadian drama film, directed by Anne Claire Poirier and released in 1982.Salut Victor ''Salut Victor'' is a Canadian film, released in 1989. Based on Edward O. Phillips's short story "Matthew and Chauncy", the film was directed by Anne Claire Poirier and written by Poirier and Marthe Blackburn. The film stars Jean-Louis Roux as Phi ...

'' - 1988

Documentaries

*''Stampede'' (Short, 1962) *''Nomade de l'Ouest'' (Short, 1962) *''30 Minutes, Mr. Plummer'' (Short, 1963) *''Les ludions'' (Short, 1965) *''De mère en fille'' (1968) *''Les filles du Roy'' (1974) *''Il y a longtemps que je t'aime'' (1989) *'' Tu as crié: Let me go'' (1996)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Poirier, Anne Claire 1932 births Living people Film producers from Quebec Canadian women film directors Canadian screenwriters in French Film directors from Quebec Canadian documentary film directors Directors of Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners for Best Documentary Film Governor General's Performing Arts Award winners Canadian women film producers Canadian women screenwriters Officers of the Order of Canada Prix Albert-Tessier winners Canadian women documentary filmmakers