Georges-Henri Denys Arcand (; born June 25, 1941) is a French Canadian film director, screenwriter and producer. His film ''

The Barbarian Invasions ''The Barbarian Invasions'' (french: Les Invasions barbares) is a 2003 Canadian-French sex comedy-drama film written and directed by Denys Arcand and starring Rémy Girard, Stéphane Rousseau and Marie-Josée Croze. The film is a sequel to Arca ...

'' won the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for

Best Foreign Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

in 2004. His films have also been nominated three further times, including two nominations in the same category for ''

The Decline of the American Empire ''The Decline of the American Empire'' (french: Le Déclin de l'empire Américain) is a 1986 Canadian sex comedy- drama film directed by Denys Arcand and starring Rémy Girard, Pierre Curzi and Dorothée Berryman. The film follows a group of ...

'' in 1986 and ''

Jesus of Montreal ''Jesus of Montreal'' (french: Jésus de Montréal) is a 1989 French Canadian comedy-drama film written and directed by Denys Arcand, and starring Lothaire Bluteau, Catherine Wilkening and Johanne-Marie Tremblay. The film tells the story of a g ...

'' in 1989, becoming the only French-Canadian director in history whose films have received this number of nominations and, subsequently, to have a film win the award. Also for ''The Barbarian Invasions'', he received an Academy Award nomination for

Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best Story. Beginning with the ...

, losing to

Sofia Coppola Sofia Carmina Coppola (; born May 14, 1971) is an American filmmaker and actress. The youngest child and only daughter of filmmakers Eleanor Coppola, Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola, she made her film debut as an infant in her father's acclaimed ...

for '' Lost in Translation''. During his four decades career, he became the most globally recognized director from

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 ...

, winning many awards from 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 ...

, including the

Best Screenplay Award Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporatio ...

, the

Jury Prize A jury is a sworn body of people (jurors) convened to hear evidence and render an impartial verdict (a finding of fact on a question) officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Juries developed in England duri ...

, and many other prestigious awards worldwide. He won three

César Awards The César Award is the national film award of France. It is delivered in the ' ceremony and was first awarded in 1976. The nominations are selected by the members of twelve categories of filmmaking professionals and supported by the French Min ...

in 2004 for ''The Barbarian Invasions'': Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Film, being the only Canadian director to have accomplished this.

Early life

Arcand was born in Deschambault,

, Canada. He grew up in a devoutly

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

home in a village about 40 km southwest of

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is t ...

. 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 master's degree in history at the

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte- ...

he became involved in film making, which gave him a new sense of direction.

Career

In 1963, he joined the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

where he produced several award-winning documentaries in his native French language. A social activist, he made a feature-length documentary in 1970 titled '' Cotton Mill, Treadmill (On est au coton)'' 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 may refer to: * Duplessis (surname) **Maurice Duplessis (1890–1959), the 16th premier of Quebec ***'' Duplessis (TV series)'', a historical television series about Maurice Duplessis that aired in Québec in 1978 ***Duplessis Orphans s ...

'', a historical work he wrote (but did not direct) about Premier

Maurice Duplessis Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis (; April 20, 1890 – September 7, 1959), was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 16th premier of Quebec. A conservative, nationalist, anti-Communist, anti-unionist and fervent Catholic, he and hi ...

. 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, ''

Comfort and Indifference ''Comfort and Indifference'' (french: Le confort et l'indifférence) is a 1982 documentary film by Denys Arcand, offering an analysis of the 1980 Quebec referendum, in which "sovereignty-association The Quebec sovereignty movement (french: Mo ...

(Le confort et l'indifférence)'' won the

Prix Luc-Perreault The Prix Luc-Perreault, formerly known as the Prix L.-E.-Ouimet-Molson, is an annual Canadian film award, presented by the Association québécoise des critiques de cinéma to a film deemed to be the best film of the year from Quebec, from among th ...

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, ''

(Le Déclin de l'empire américain)''. At the Canadian

Genie Awards 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 scul ...

, it captured best film, best director, and best writer of an original screenplay. It also won the "International Critics Prize" at the

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)'' winning the same three Genie awards, plus the

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'' 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. The film version ...

'', and did so again in 2000, with the film '' Stardom'', which opened 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 perman ...

. He then spent two years writing the script for what many claim is his finest piece of cinematic writing to date, ''

'' (''Les invasions barbares''). Released in 2003, the film won Arcand the

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 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best Story. Beginning with th ...

. ''The Barbarian Invasions'' won France's 2004 César Award for Best Picture,

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BA ...

, and Best Original Screenplay. Arcand's film '' Days of Darkness (L'Âge des ténèbres)'' was chosen to close the

2007 Cannes Film Festival The 60th Cannes Film Festival ran from 16 to 27 May 2007. The President of the Jury was British director Stephen Frears. Twenty two films from twelve countries were selected to compete for the Palme d'Or. The awards were announced on 26 May. '' 4 ...

. The press opening was subdued and the subsequent reviews were mixed. Following this, he took a seven-year hiatus from feature film directing; he returned in 2014 with the film '' Le règne de la beauté.''

Awards

In 1988, he was made 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 cen ...

and was promoted to Companion in 2005. In 1990 the Government of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

awarded him the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. He finally earned from his home province one of its highest distinctions, the title of Knight of the

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 an order of merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Governo ...

, in 1990. In 1995, Mr. Arcand 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 February 2004, the government of France named Denys Arcand a Commander of

L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...

, 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 The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880. History 1880 to 1890 The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Queen Victoria on 16 July 1880. The Governor General ...

Personal life

Arcand is a

lapsed Catholic A lapsed Catholic is a Catholic who is non-practicing. Such a person may still identify as a Catholic, and remains one according to canon law. Excommunication or an act of defection only separate a person from the sacraments. Nothing can terminate ...

. Married a second time, neither Arcand nor

Denise 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. ...

, his producer/wife, has had children. He was 55 years old when they adopted an orphaned baby boy from China named Carter. His brother Bernard Arcand (1945–2009) was a professor of

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of be ...

, and his youngest brother

Gabriel Arcand Gabriel Arcand (born June 4, 1949) is a Canadian actor. He is the brother of film director Denys Arcand. After studying philosophy at McGill University, Arcand spent his formative professional years at La Criée in Marseilles, France, and late ...

(b. 1949) is a noted Canadian actor.

Filmography

Director

*''À l'est d'Eaton'' - 1959, short film co-directed with Stéphane Venne *'' Alone or With Others (Seul ou avec d'autres)'' - 1962, co-directed with Denis Héroux and Stéphane Venne *''

Dirty Money Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdicti ...

(La maudite galette)'' - 1972 *''

Réjeanne Padovani ''Réjeanne Padovani'' is a Canadian drama film from Quebec, written and directed by Denys Arcand and released in 1973. It was his second narrative feature film as a director, but the first for which he was also the screenwriter. An examination of ...

'' - 1973 *'' Gina'' - 1975 *'' Empire, Inc.'' - 1983, TV miniseries codirected with Douglas Jackson *''

The Crime of Ovide Plouffe ''The Crime of Ovide Plouffe'' (french: Le Crime d'Ovide Plouffe), also known as ''Murder in the Family'' in its television run, is a Canadian film and television miniseries from Quebec. The project consisted of two parts: a two-hour theatrical fil ...

(Le Crime d'Ovide Plouffe)'' - 1984 *''

(Le Déclin de l'empire américain)'' - 1986 *''

(Jésus de Montréal)'' - 1989 *''Les lettres de la religieuse portugaise'' - 1991, TV movie *'' Montreal Stories'' - 1992, segment "Vue d'ailleurs" *''

'' - 1993 *''

Poverty and Other Delights ''Poverty and Other Delights'' (french: Joyeux Calvaire) is a Canadian drama film from Quebec, directed by Denys Arcand and released in 1996."Joyeux Calvaire takes Arcand back to French roots". ''Montreal Gazette'', October 24, 1996. The film star ...

(Joyeux Calvaire)'' - 1996 *'' Stardom'' - 2000 *''

(Les invasions barbares)'' - 2003 *'' Days of Darkness (L'Âge des ténèbres)'' - 2007 *''

An Eye for Beauty ''An Eye for Beauty'' (french: Le règne de la beauté) is a 2014 Canadian drama film directed by Denys Arcand.

(Le règne de la beauté)'' - 2014 *''

The Fall of the American Empire ''The Fall of the American Empire'' (french: La chute de l'empire américain) is a 2018 Canadian crime thriller film written and directed by Denys Arcand and starring Alexandre Landry, Maxim Roy, Yan England and Rémy Girard. It is about a man ( ...

(La chute de l'empire américain)'' - 2018TIFF 2018: Denys Arcand a fan of festival's good old days, Montreal Gazette
/ref>

Documentaries

*''Champlain'' - 1964, short film *''Québec 1603 - Samuel de Champlain'' - 1964, short film *''Les Montréalistes'' - 1965, short film *''Montréal, un jour d'été'' - 1965, short film *''La route de l'Ouest'' - 1965, short film *''Volleyball'' - 1966, short film *''Parcs atlantiques'' - 1967, short film *''Quebec: Duplessis and After (Québec : Duplessis et après...)'' - 1972 *''La lutte des travailleurs d'hôpitaux'' - 1976, short film *'' Cotton Mill, Treadmill (On est au coton)'' - 1976 (made 1970 but withheld from release) *''

(Le confort et l'indifférence)'' - 1982

Acting

*''

It Isn't Jacques Cartier's Fault ''It Isn't Jacques Cartier's Fault'' () is a Canadian comedy film, directed by Clément Perron and Georges Dufaux and released in 1968. Yves Lever, ''Histoire générale du cinéma au Québec''. Éditions du Boréal, 1988. . p. 165. The film cent ...

(C'est pas la faute à Jacques Cartier)'' - 1968 *''Nominingue... depuis qu'il existe'' - 1968 *''

My Eye ''My Eye'' (french: Mon œil) is a Canadian satirical film, written and directed by Jean Pierre Lefebvre and released in 1971.Gerald Pratley, ''A Century of Canadian Cinema''. Lynx Images, 2003. . p. 146. Satirizing the dominance of television, ...

(Mon oeil)'' - 1971 *''Dirty Money (La maudite galette)'' - 1972 *''Réjeanne Padovani'' - 1973 *'' Pigs Are Seldom Clean (On n'engraisse pas les cochons à l'eau claire)'' - 1973 *''

Normande The Normande is a breed of dairy cattle from the Normandy region of north-west France. It is raised principally for its milk, which is high in fat and suitable for making butter and cheese, but also for its meat, which is marbled and good-fla ...

(La Tête de Normande St-Onge)'' - 1975 *''

Night Zoo ''Night Zoo'' (french: Un Zoo la nuit) is a 1987 Canadian film. It is directed and written by Jean-Claude Lauzon. It made its debut at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival. The film was selected as the Canadian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film ...

(Un zoo la nuit)'' - 1987 *''Jesus of Montreal (Jésus de Montréal)'' - 1989 *''Montreal Stories (Montréal vu par...)'' - 1991 *''

Léolo ''Léolo'' is a 1992 Canadian coming of age film, coming of age-fantasy film by director Jean-Claude Lauzon. The film tells the story of a young boy named Léo "Léolo" Lauzon, played by Maxime Collin, who engages in an active Fantasy (psychology), ...

'' - 1992 *''

Un gars, une fille ''Un gars, une fille'' (, ''A Guy, A Girl'') is a Canadian comedy television series created by and starring Guy A. Lepage and broadcast on Radio-Canada, as well as the title of its French adaptation on France 2. It was one of the most successf ...

'' - 2000 *''The Barbarian Invasions (Les Invasions barbares)'' - 2003 *''Tideline'' - 2004 *''Idole instantanée'' - 2005 *''

Les Bougon ''Les Bougon - c'est aussi ça la vie!'' is a Quebec sitcom broadcast by Radio-Canada from 2004 to 2006, written by François Avard and Jean-François Mercier and produced by Fabienne Larouche. The show won three Gémeaux in 2004. The show's f ...

'' - 2004-06 *''Days of Darkness (L'Âge des ténèbres)'' - 2007 *'' Barney's Version'' - 2010 *''Adam & Ève'' - 2012 *''

Kiss Me Like a Lover ''Kiss Me Like a Lover'' (french: Embrasse-moi comme tu m'aimes) is a Canadian drama film from Quebec, directed by André Forcier and released in 2016. Set in Montreal in the 1940s, the film stars Émile Schneider as Pierre Sauvageau, a young man ...

(Embrasse-moi comme tu m'aimes)'' - 2016 *''Les pêcheurs'' - 2016, TV series

References

External links

*
Denys Arcand
at the Canadian Film Encyclopedia
Denys Arcand
on NFB {{DEFAULTSORT:Arcand, Denys 1941 births Canadian film producers Canadian screenwriters in French Directors of Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award winners César Award winners European Film Awards winners (people) Companions of the Order of Canada French Quebecers Best Director Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Grand Officers of the National Order of Quebec Recipients of the Legion of Honour Living people Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts People from Capitale-Nationale Film directors from Quebec Université de Montréal alumni Best Screenplay Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Best Director César Award winners Male actors from Quebec Governor General's Performing Arts Award winners Canadian documentary film directors National Film Board of Canada people Prix Albert-Tessier winners Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay winners Critics of the Catholic Church Best Director Jutra and Iris Award winners