Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
actress and director.
Biography
Filiatrault attained star status on TV in the 1960s, co-starring with
Dominique Michel Dominique Michel, OC, CQ (born ''Aimée Sylvestre''; September 24, 1932 in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec) is a Quebec comedian, actress, singer and artist.
Biography
She began her career in cabarets performing songs written by Raymond Lévesque and sub ...
in the
Radio-Canada
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...
television series '' Moi et l'autre'' (1967–71) and in many editions of Radio-Canada's annual New Year's special, '' Bye Bye''. She had further success in ''Chez Denise'' (1978–1982), ''Le 101, avenue des Pins'' (1984–85) and ''Denise... aujourd'hui'' (1990–91).
In addition to her television career, Filiatrault also performed in films and on stage, notably in works by
Michel Tremblay
Michel Tremblay (born 25 June 1942) is a French-Canadian novelist and playwright.
Tremblay was born in Montreal, Quebec, where he grew up in the French-speaking neighbourhood of Plateau Mont-Royal; at the time of his birth, a neighbourhood wit ...
. She was known to perform both comic and dramatic roles, such as
Gilles Carle
Gilles Carle, (July 31, 1928As fully funny, Carle had pleasure to always give himself one year less, and to let people think wrongly that he was born in 1929, "The Year of the Big World Crash": see on the Quebec French newspapers that many writer ...
's ''
The Death of a Lumberjack
''The Death of a Lumberjack'' (french: La Mort d'un bûcheron) is a 1973 Canadian drama film directed by Gilles Carle. The film was entered into the 1973 Cannes Film Festival.
Plot
A young woman (Carole Laure) from rural Quebec comes to Montre ...
(La Mort d'un bûcheron)'' in 1973,
André Brassard
André Brassard (28 August 1946 – 11 October 2022) was a Canadian stage director, filmmaker and actor, best known for staging the vast majority of Michel Tremblay's plays. He was the director of the French section of the National Arts Center ...
Denys Arcand
Georges-Henri Denys Arcand (; born June 25, 1941) is a French Canadian film director, screenwriter and producer. His film ''The Barbarian Invasions'' won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 2004. His films have also been nominated three f ...
Far from You Sweetheart
''Far from You Sweetheart'' (french: Je suis loin de toi mignonne) is a 1976 Canadian comedy-drama film, directed by Claude Fournier.Gerald Pratley, ''A Century of Canadian Cinema''. Lynx Images, 2003. . p. 75. The film stars Dominique Michel and ...
(Je suis loin de toi mignonne)'' in 1976, '' Fantastica'' in 1980 and Carle's '' The Plouffe Family (Les Plouffe)'' in 1981, playing the tormented Cécile.
Following ''Les Plouffe'', Filiatrault took a break from film, concentrating more in writing and directing for theatre and summer comedy. Filiatrault then decided to take the leap to directing cinema by adapting Tremblay's novel ''C't'à ton tour, Laura Cadieux'' into the 1998 film ''
It's Your Turn, Laura Cadieux
''It's Your Turn, Laura Cadieux'' (french: C't'à ton tour, Laura Cadieux) is a Canadian comedy film, directed by Denise Filiatrault and released in 1998. The film was based on the comedic novel by Michel Tremblay.
The film centers on a group of ...
'', presenting the world of overweight women yearning for love and affection. Filiatrault opted for a simple yet effective style that showcased the talents of the film's strong female leads. This dramatic comedy scored such success that Filiatrault wrote and directed the 1999 sequel ''
Laura Cadieux II
''Laura Cadieux II'' (french: Laura Cadieux...la suite) is a Canadian comedy film, directed by Denise Filiatrault and released in 1999. A sequel to the 1998 film ''It's Your Turn, Laura Cadieux (C'est à ton tour, Laura Cadieux)'', the film placed ...
(Laura Cadieux... la suite)'', in which she further developed the characters and their world.
In 2002, she produced a new comedy fantasy, ''
Alice's Odyssey
''Alice's Odyssey'' (french: L'Odyssée d'Alice Tremblay) is a Canadian family comedy fantasy film, directed by Denise Filiatrault and released in 2002. The film stars Sophie Lorain as Alice Tremblay, a single mother who becomes drawn into the fai ...
(L'Odyssée d'Alice Tremblay)'', which received a lukewarm response from critics and moviegoers. In 2003, taking advantage of the success of her motion picture characters, Filiatrault produced a television miniseries for
TVA
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a Federal government of the United States, federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, an ...
, ''Le Petit monde de Laura Cadieux'' (2003), before tackling a new film '' Bittersweet Memories (Ma vie en cinémascope)'' (2004), a dramatic biography of 1930s-1950s singer Alys Robi (played by
Pascale Bussières
Pascale Bussières (born June 27, 1968) is a French Canadian actress.
Life and work
Born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Pascale Bussières first attracted attention as a suicidal teenager in Micheline Lanctôt’s 1984 film '' Sonatine''; howeve ...
).
As artistic director of the
Théâtre du Rideau Vert
The Théâtre du Rideau Vert is a theatre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located at 4664 Saint Denis Street in the borough of Le Plateau-Mont-Royal.
Founded in 1949 by Yvette Brind'Amour and Mercedes Palomino, the Théâtre du Rideau Vert wa ...
, she and the theatre were criticized in January 2015 by a coalition of Montreal arts groups for a year-end production in which a Caucasian actor portrayed hockey player P.K. Subban in blackface. Filiatrault responded that she was "shocked, outraged, and humiliated" by the reaction, saying that she had been in show business for 60 years and was the first person to hire a black Quebecer on television.
Awards and honours
At the
3rd Genie Awards
The 3rd Genie Awards were awarded on March 3, 1982, at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto,Jay Scott, "Academy lists Genie nominees". ''The Globe and Mail'', February 4, 1982. and honoured Canadian films released in 1981.Liam Lacey, "Ticket to ...
in 1982, she won a "Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role" Genie Award for her performance in '' The Plouffe Family (Les Plouffe)''. Filiatrault 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 her work in television in 1999. In 1994, she 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 elevated to Companion of the Order in 2020. In 2000, she was made an Officer 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 ...
. At the
26th Genie Awards
The 26th Genie Awards were held on March 13, 2006 to honour films released in 2005. The ceremony was held at The Carlu theatre in Toronto. The ceremony was hosted by Lisa Ray and Terry David Mulligan.
Nominees and winners
The Genie Award winner ...
in 2004, she was nominated for an "Achievement in Direction" and "Original Screenplay" Genie Award for '' Bittersweet Memories (Ma vie en cinémascope)''. In 2006 Filiatrault received the
Jutra Award
The Prix Iris is a Canadian film award, presented annually by Québec Cinéma, which recognizes talent and achievement in the mainly francophone feature film industry in Quebec.Prix Iris Tribute Award) for her overall career.