Émile Gaudreault, ( born March 6, 1964) is a Quebec director, author, screenwriter and producer. Since 1994, he has been directing, writing and producing feature films as well as episodes for television series. Several of his films have won awards in Quebec and Canada and have been adapted for the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
.
Early life
Émile Gaudreault was born in Sainte-Foy to a mother who was a teacher and a father who taught
theology
Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...
. During his childhood, he moved to the
Lac-Saint-Jean
Lac-Saint-Jean (, ) is a federal electoral district in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, northeast Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1925 to 2004, and has been represented since 2015.
Demographics ...
Alma
Alma or ALMA may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Alma'' (film), a 2009 Spanish short animated film
* ''Alma'', an upcoming film by Sally Potter
* ''Alma'' (Oswald de Andrade novel), 1922
* ''Alma'' (Le Clézio novel), 2017
* ''Alma'' ( ...
and finally to
Jonquière
Jonquière (; ; Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population: 60,250) is a List of boroughs in Quebec, borough (arrondissement) of the city of Saguenay, Quebec, Saguenay in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada. It is located on the Sag ...
, where he studied art and media technology at Cégep.
Career
Émile Gaudreault made his debut as an author and also on stage, in the comedy shows of the ''Groupe Sanguin''.
For the big screen, he co-wrote ''
Louis 19, King of the Airwaves
''Louis 19, King of the Airwaves'' () is a Canadian comedy film, released in April 1994.
The film stars Martin Drainville as Louis Jobin, a television fanatic who wins a contest to be on television. Unbeknownst to him, however, his prize is to be ...
'' (), a comedy that was the highest-grossing Canadian film in 1994 and won the Golden Screen Award, in addition to being the subject of an American remake under the title of ''Edtv'' (directed by
Ron Howard
Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American filmmaker and actor. Howard started his career as a child actor before transitioning to directing films. Over his six-decade career, Howard has received List of awards and nominations r ...
).
In 2001, he directed his first feature film, '' Wedding Night'' (), another successful comedy that won the Golden Reel (Genie Award) for the highest-grossing Canadian film.
He then co-wrote and directed '' Mambo Italiano'', released in theaters in 30 countries. The film deals with
coming out
Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBTQ people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity.
This is often framed and debated as a privacy issue, ...
in the Italian community.
In 2007, he directed '' Surviving My Mother'', which won the prize for the most popular Canadian film at the
Montreal World Film Festival
The Montreal World Film Festival (), commonly abbreviated MWFF in English or FFM in French, was an annual film festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from 1977 to 2019.Father and Guns'' (), received critical and popular success and as such this film was awarded the Golden Reel Award for the highest-grossing Canadian film.
Then followed ''
A Sense of Humour
''A Sense of Humour'' () is a Canadian crime comedy film, directed by Émile Gaudreault and released in 2011.Charles-Henri Ramond"Sens de l’humour, Le – Film d’Émile Gaudreault" ''Films du Québec'', June 17, 2011. The film stars Louis-Jos ...
('') in 2011, ''Le Vrai du Faux'' in 2014, and ''Père Fils Thérapie'', a remake of ''De père en flic'' shot in France with a French cast.
In 2017, he returned with a sequel to ''
Father and Guns 2
''Father and Guns 2'' () is a Canadian comedy film originating from Quebec, directed by Émile Gaudreault and released in 2017.Compulsive Liar
''Compulsive Liar'' () is a Canadian comedy film, directed by Émile Gaudreault and released in 2019. The film stars Louis-José Houde as Simon, a man who is confronted by his family about his lifelong habit of being a compulsive liar, and deni ...
('') is released in the summer of 2019 and is named at the end of the same year "Canadian Film of the Year" by
Playback Magazine
''Playback'' is an online Canadian film, broadcasting, and interactive media trade journal owned by Brunico Communications. It was previously published biweekly as a print magazine for the Canadian entertainment industry.
History
The first ...
.
In 2017, Émile Gaudreault created his company “Les films du lac” which would be a partner for the production of the films ''Menteur'' and ''Lignes de fuite'', feature films which he co-wrote as well. He also co-produced the latter.
By passing the $30 million mark at the box office with the release of ''Compulsive Liar'', a first for Quebec, Gaudreault shows that his cinematic style appeals to Quebec audiences.
In July 2022 will be released a French remake of ''Compulsive Liar'' produced by Gaumont and directed by
Olivier Baroux
Olivier Baroux (born 5 January 1964) is a French actor, comedian, writer and director who has acted both on stage and on screen. He first became known in forming with Kad Merad
Kad Merad (born Kaddour Merad, ; 27 March 1964) is a French-Alger ...
(''
Entre amis
''Entre amis'' is a 2015 French comedy film directed by Olivier Baroux. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Daniel Auteuil, Gérard Jugnot, François Berléand, Zabou Breitman, Mélanie Doutey and Isabelle Gélinas. It was releas ...
'', ''
Les Tuche
''Les Tuche'' is a 2011 French comedy film directed by Olivier Baroux. Three sequels had been released since the first opus.
In the film, a perpetually unemployed lower class family wins a fortune in a lottery. The nouveau riche family then att ...