Denis Côté (born November 16, 1973) is an independent filmmaker and producer living in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, of

Brayon Brayons, also called Madawaskayens, are a francophone people inhabiting the area in and around Madawaska County, New Brunswick, Canada, including some parts of northern Maine. In French, they are called or feminine as in ''Brayon culture'', o ...

origin. His experimental films have been shown at major film festivals around the world.

Life and career

Côté was born in

Perth-Andover Perth-Andover (2016 population: 1,590) is a village in Victoria County, New Brunswick, Victoria County, New Brunswick, Canada. Geography The village is divided by the Saint John River (New Brunswick), Saint John River with Perth on the east ba ...

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

, Canada. He studied film at Collège Ahuntsic in Montreal and founded nihilproductions around 1994. He made a number of short films, including ''Kosovolove'' (2000) and ''La sphatte'' (2003). He has also been a film critic on radio, at ici magazine from 1999 to 2005, and vice-president of the Quebec association of film critics (''Association québécoise des critiques de cinéma'', or AQCC). In 2005, his first feature film, '' Drifting States (Les états nordiques)'', won the Golden Leopard - Video at the

Locarno International Film Festival The Locarno Film Festival is an annual film festival, held every August in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narrative, documentary, sh ...

(in a tie with '' The Masseur''), as well as the Woosuk Award (Indie Vision) at the

Jeonju International Film Festival Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF, Korean: 전주국제영화제, Hanja: 全州國際映畵祭) is an Asian film festival. It was launched in 2000 as a non-competitive film festival with partial competition. It introduces independent a ...

. His 2007 film '' Our Private Lives (Nos vies privées)'' was filmed in

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

. The 2008 film ''

All That She Wants "All That She Wants" is a song by Swedish group Ace of Base. It was released in Scandinavia in 1992 as the second single from their first studio album, ''Happy Nation'' (1992), and in the following year, it was released as the first single from ...

(Elle veut le chaos)'', his third feature film, won the silver Leopard for best directing at the

and Best Canadian film at the '' Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie''. Jean-Michel Frodon, editor-in-chief of

Cahiers du Cinéma ''Cahiers du Cinéma'' (, ) is a French film magazine co-founded in 1951 by André Bazin, Jacques Doniol-Valcroze, and Joseph-Marie Lo Duca.Itzkoff, Dave (9 February 2009''Cahiers Du Cinéma Will Continue to Publish''The New York TimesMacnab, Ge ...

at the time, made it one of his top 10 picks for best film of 2008. In October 2008, there was a retrospective of his work at the Cinémathèque québécoise. The 2009 documentary '' Carcasses'' was presented at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

at the

Directors' Fortnight The Directors' Fortnight (french: Quinzaine des Réalisateurs) is an independent selection of the Cannes Film Festival. It was started in 1969 by the French Directors Guild after the events of May 1968 resulted in cancellation of the Cannes festiv ...

in May 2009. It was part of the Canada Top Ten at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...

. At the end of May 2010 at the Festival TransAmériques, he created a video accompaniment for the play ''Cendres'' directed by Jérémie Niel (based on ''

Earth and Ashes ''Earth and Ashes'' ( fa, خاکستر و خاک) is a 2004 Afghan film directed by Atiq Rahimi, based on his book of the same name which was published in 2000. It was Afghanistan's submission to the 77th Academy Awards for the Academy Award for B ...

'' by

Atiq Rahimi Atiq Rahimi ( fa, عتیق رحیمی) (born 26 February 1962 in Kabul) is a French-Afghan writer and filmmaker. Life Atiq Rahimi was born in 1962 in Kabul to a senior public servant and attended high school in Lycée Esteqlal. Following the So ...

). The 2010 "short" film (43 minutes) ''

The Enemy Lines ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in En ...

(Les Lignes ennemies)'' was part of the Jeonju Digital Project at the

, where it had its world premiere. In August 2010, his feature film ''

Curling Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns sliding ...

'' was presented at the

, where it won the prize for best directing as well as the prize for best actor ( Emmanuel Bilodeau). It was released in France in October 2011, to positive critical reviews. At the end of October and beginning of November 2010, the Viennale presented a retrospective of his work, as did the

Festival de La Rochelle A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival co ...

in 2011. His 2012 documentary ''

Bestiaire ''Bestiaire'' is a 2012 Canadian-French avant-garde nature documentary film directed by Denis Côté. The film centers on how humans and animals observe each other.Sam Stander"In 'Bestiare,' A Glimpse Into The Nature Of Looking" NPR, October 18, 20 ...

'', filmed at

Parc Safari Parc Safari is a zoo in Hemmingford, Quebec, Canada, and is one of the region's major tourist attractions; Parc Safari, an animal and amusement park was founded in 1972. It currently holds 500 animals of 50 different species. It is located close ...

in Hemmingford, Quebec, had its world premiere at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

and was also shown at the

Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

. Côté also produced the film '' Mona's Daughters (Le Cèdre penché)'' by

Rafaël Ouellet Rafaël Ouellet is a Canadian screenwriter and film director from Dégelis, Quebec. He is most noted for his 2012 film '' Camion'', for which he received Jutra Award nominations for Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Editing at the 15th Jut ...

in 2007. His 2013 film ''

Vic and Flo Saw a Bear ''Vic and Flo Saw a Bear'' (french: Vic+Flo ont vu un ours) is a 2013 Canadian drama film directed by Denis Côté. The film premiered in competition at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Alfred Bauer Prize. The film ...

'' premiered in competition at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Alfred Bauer Prize. ''Vic and Flo Saw A Bear'' was screened in about 90 film festivals, was released in a dozen countries and to this day, Denis Côté's work has been offered more than 20 retrospectives around the world. In 2014, he returned to Berlinale with a new essay film, '' Joy of Man's Desiring (Que ta joie demeure)''. For his ninth feature film ''

Boris Without Béatrice ''Boris Without Béatrice'' (french: Boris sans Béatrice) is a 2016 Canadian drama film directed by Denis Côté. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival. The film stars James Hyndman as B ...

(Boris sans Béatrice)'' in 2016, Côté teamed up with local star actor James Hyndman and imagines the life of fictitious businessman Boris Malinovsky. The film premiered at the

66th Berlin International Film Festival The 66th Berlin International Film Festival was held from 11 to 21 February 2016, with American actress Meryl Streep as the President of the Jury. The Honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement was presented to German cinematographer Michael ...

in 2016. In 2015, Ministry of Culture and Communications (France) officially named Côté a Knight of the Order of the Arts and Letters. ''

A Skin So Soft ''A Skin So Soft'' (french: Ta peau si lisse) is a 2017 documentary film, directed by Canadians, Canadian director Denis Côté. A Canadian, French and Swiss coproduction, the film chronicles the daily monotonous routines of a select few men whose ...

(Ta peau si lisse)'' features six real-life bodybuilders and had its world premiere on August 4, 2017, at the 70th Locarno International Film Festival. Variety praised the 'eclectic approach' of the film. The Upcoming UK called it a 'bewitching and admirable piece of work'. Shot in winter 2018 but screened in Competition at Berlinale 2019, ''Ghost Town Anthology'' is a return to a more narrative version of Côté's signature. Based on a poetic novel by young auteur Laurence Olivier and uniting a stellar cast of local stars and newcomers, ''Ghost Town Anthology'' sees the dead silently return to a small rural town following the suicide of a young man. The film opened to positive reviews, hits the festival circuit and is seen as a mournful drama that defies genre categorization. The film received 10 nominations at the

20th Quebec Cinema Awards The 20th Quebec Cinema Awards ceremony was held on 3 June 2018 in Montreal, to recognize talent and achievement in the Cinema of Quebec. It was hosted by actresses Édith Cochrane and Guylaine Tremblay, who also jointly hosted the 2017 Prix Iris. ...

. Later the same year he released ''

Wilcox Wilcox may refer to: Places ;Canada *Wilcox, Saskatchewan ;United States *Wilcox, Florida, an unincorporated community in Gilchrist County, Florida *Wilcox, Missouri *Wilcox, Nebraska * Wilcox, Pennsylvania *Wilcox, Washington * Wilcox, Wisconsin * ...

'', a film following a fictional mysterious wanderer, happily lost in the Canadian wilderness. Côté has described his own filmmaking style in interviews by stating that he has no ambitions to make "consensual" movies that everybody loves, and has claimed that he does not consider one of his films to be successful unless at least a few people walk out of the screening.Alex Rose
"Denis Côté gets into funny business with Hygiène sociale"
''

Cult MTL ''Cult MTL'' is an English language arts, culture and news website and monthly print publication, based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Its first print edition appeared on 7 September 2012. It was created only a few months after Montreal's last Engli ...

'', May 13, 2021.

Filmography

*2005 - '' Drifting States (Les états nordiques)'' *2007 - '' Our Private Lives (Nos vies privées)'' *2008 - ''

(Elle veut le chaos)'' *2009 - '' Carcasses'' *2010 - ''

(Les lignes ennemies)'' *2010 - ''

'' *2012 - ''

'' *2013 - ''

(Vic + Flo ont vu un ours)'' *2014 - '' Joy of Man's Desiring (Que ta joie demeure)'' *2016 - ''

(Boris sans Béatrice)'' *2017 - ''

(Ta peau si lisse)'' *2019 - ''

Ghost Town Anthology ''Ghost Town Anthology'' (french: Répertoire des villes disparues) is a 2019 French-language Canadian supernatural drama film directed by Denis Côté. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear at the 69th Berlin International Film Festiva ...

(Répertoire des villes disparues)'' *2019 - ''

'' *2021 - '' Social Hygiene (Hygiène sociale)'' *2022 - '' That Kind of Summer (Un été comme ça)''

Short films (selective)

*1997 - ''Des tortues dans la pluie'' *1999 - ''Old Fashion Waltz'' *2000 - ''Seconde valse'' *2000 - ''Kosovolove'' *2001 - ''Rejoue-moi ce vieux mélodrame'' *2002 - ''Mécanique de l’assassin'' *2003 - ''La sphatte'' *2005 - ''Les jouets'' *2005 - ''Tennessee'' *2007 - ''Maïté'' *2015 - ''Excursoes'' *2015 - ''Que nous nous assoupissions'' (May We Sleep Soundly)

Accolades

*2001 - ''Seconde valse'': Best editing at the Atlantic Film Festival ( Halifax, Canada) *2004 - ''La sphatte'': Bronze prize at Brno B16 (Czech Republic) *2005 - ''Les états nordiques'': Golden Leopard - Video at the Locarno International Film Festival (Switzerland) *2006 - ''Les états nordiques'': Indie Vision grand prize at Jeonju (Korea) *2008 - ''Elle veut le chaos'': Best directing at the Locarno International Film Festival (Switzerland) *2008 - ''Elle veut le chaos'': Special mention from the youth jury at Locarno (Switzerland) *2008 - ''Elle veut le chaos'': Best Canadian film at the '' Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie'' (

Moncton Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the The Maritimes, Maritime Provinces. The ...

, Canada) *2010 - ''Curling'': Best directing at the Locarno International Film Festival (Switzerland) *2010 - ''Curling'': Leopard for best actor (Emmanuel Bilodeau) at the Locarno International Film Festival (Switzerland) *2012 - ''Bestiaire'' Best experimental Feature Greenpoint Film Festival (US) *2013 - ''Vic and Flo Saw A Bear'' Alfred Bauer Preis (Innovation Prize) 63rd Berlinale (Germany) *2013 - ''Vic and Flo Saw A Bear'' Best Script FIFF Namur (Belgium) *2014 - ''Vic and Flo Saw A Bear'' Jutra Award for Best Actress - Pierrette Robitaille (Quebec) *2014 - ''Joy of Man's Desiring'' Jury Special Mention FICUNAM Mexico *2019 - ''Ghost Town Anthology'' Best film (FIPRESCI Award at 37th Festival Cinematografico Internacional del Uruguay *2021 - ''Social Hygiene'' Best director Award - Berlinale (Encounters) *2021 - ''Social Hygiene'' Best director Award - FAJR Teheran Film Festival (Iran)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cote, Denis Canadian screenwriters in French Film producers from Quebec Film directors from Quebec Canadian experimental filmmakers People from Perth-Andover 1973 births Living people Acadian film Film directors from New Brunswick Film producers from New Brunswick