Xavier Dolan-Tadros (; born 20 March 1989) is a Canadian filmmaker, actor and costume designer. He began his career as a

child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in movies or television. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associated t ...

in commercials before directing several

arthouse An art film (or arthouse film) is typically an independent film, aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made primarily ...

feature films. He first received international acclaim in 2009 for his feature film

directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many film makers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...

, ''

I Killed My Mother ''I Killed My Mother'' (french: J'ai tué ma mère) is a 2009 Canadian drama film written, directed, produced by and starring Xavier Dolan, in his directorial debut. Loosely autobiographical, it follows the complicated relationship between ...

'' (), which he also starred in, wrote, and produced, and which premiered at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival in the

Directors' Fortnight The Directors' Fortnight (french: Quinzaine des Réalisateurs) is an independent selection of the Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and kn ...

section and won three awards from the program."Québécois filmmaker electrifies Cannes"
. '' The Globe and Mail'', 25 May 2009. Since 2009, he has written and directed eight feature films, all of which have premiered at Cannes, with the exception of '' Tom at the Farm''—which premiered at the

70th Venice International Film Festival The 70th annual Venice International Film Festival took place in Venice, Italy from 28 August to 7 September 2013. American film director William Friedkin was presented with a lifetime achievement award. Italian film director Bernardo Bertolucc ...

in 2013—and his first English-language film, '' The Death & Life of John F. Donovan'', which premiered at the

2018 Toronto International Film Festival The 43rd annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from September 6 to 16, 2018. In June 2018, the TIFF organizers announced a program to ensure that at least 20 percent of all film critics and journalists given press accreditation to ...

. Dolan has also directed music videos, notably with

Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a reco ...

for the videos of her singles "

Hello ''Hello'' is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826. Early uses ''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the '' Norwi ...

" (2015), and "

Easy on Me "Easy on Me" is a song by English singer Adele from her fourth studio album '' 30'' (2021). Adele wrote the song with its producer, Greg Kurstin. Columbia Records released it as the album's lead single on 15 October 2021. It is a minimally pr ...

" (2021), for which he received a

Grammy Award for Best Music Video The Grammy Award for Best Music Video is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality short form music videos. Hon ...

nomination. Dolan has won many accolades for his work, including 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 durin ...

at the

2014 Cannes Film Festival The 67th Cannes Film Festival was held from 14 to 25 May 2014. New Zealand film director Jane Campion was the head of the jury for the main competition section. The Palme d'Or was awarded to the Turkish film ''Winter Sleep'' directed by Nuri B ...

for '' Mommy'' and the

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

at the

2016 Cannes Film Festival The 69th Cannes Film Festival was held from 11 to 22 May 2016. Australian director George Miller was the President of the Jury for the main competition. French actor Laurent Lafitte was the host for the opening and closing ceremonies. On 15 Mar ...

for ''

It's Only the End of the World ''It's Only the End of the World'' (french: Juste la fin du monde) is a 2016 drama film written, edited and directed by Xavier Dolan. The film is based on the play of the same name by Jean-Luc Lagarce and stars Gaspard Ulliel, Nathalie Baye, ...

.'' He has also won several

Canadian Screen Awards The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media (web series) ...

and

César Award Cesar, César or Cèsar may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''César'' (film), a 1936 film directed by Marcel Pagnol * ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt * César Award, a French film award Places * Cesar, Portugal * Ce ...

s. Outside of his own films, Dolan has also starred in films from other directors, including '' Elephant Song'' (2014), ''

Boy Erased ''Boy Erased'' is a 2018 American biographical film, biographical drama film based on Garrard Conley's 2016 Boy Erased: A Memoir, memoir of the same name. It is written and directed by Joel Edgerton, who also produced with Kerry Kohansky Robert ...

'' (2018), ''

Bad Times at the El Royale ''Bad Times at the El Royale'' is a 2018 American neo-noir thriller film written, directed, and produced by Drew Goddard. It stars an ensemble cast consisting of Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, Cailee Spaeny, Lewi ...

'' (2018), and ''

It Chapter Two ''It Chapter Two'' is a 2019 American supernatural horror film directed by Andy Muschietti, with a screenplay by Gary Dauberman. A follow-up to '' It'' (2017), it is the second of a two-part adaptation of the 1986 novel '' It'' by Stephen King ...

'' (2019).

Early life

Dolan was born and raised in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

, Quebec. He is the son of Geneviève Dolan, a Quebecois teacher, and

Manuel Tadros Hany Manuel Tadros ( ar, مانويل تادرس; born September 30, 1956) is an Egyptian-Canadian singer, songwriter, actor, comedian and voice actor. He currently works and lives in Quebec. Early life Tadros was born in Cairo, Egypt to a Chri ...

, a successful

Egyptian-Canadian Egyptian Canadians are Canadian citizens of Egyptian descent, first-generation Egyptian immigrants, or descendants of Egyptians who emigrated to Canada. According to the 2011 Census there were 73,250 Canadian citizens who are from Egypt, having a ...

actor and singer of Coptic and

Lebanese Lebanese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Lebanese Republic * Lebanese people The Lebanese people ( ar, الشعب اللبناني / ALA-LC: ', ) are the people inhabiting or originating from Lebanon. The term may al ...

descent.

Career

Early films

Dolan attracted international attention with his

, ''

'' (), which he wrote, directed, produced and starred in at the age of 19, using funds from his extensive work as a child actor. He reportedly began writing the script when he was 16 years old. He said in an interview with Canadian newspaper that the film was partly autobiographical. The film was at first financed solely by Dolan, but when need for more money arose, he asked

Telefilm A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

and the SODEC for subsidies. Each turned him down for different reasons. SODEC, who had loved the project but refused to finance it because it was submitted to a too commercial department, encouraged Dolan to submit it again in more appropriate "indie" department, which he did. In December 2008, SODEC gave him a $400,000 subsidy. In all, the film cost around $800,000 CAD. Dolan said that the system to acquire funding is "an obsolete financing mechanism that holds the creative assets of Quebec hostage". Xavier Dolan

The film premiered at the

Director's 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 ...

program of the

2009 Cannes Film Festival The 62nd Cannes Film Festival was held from 13 May to 24 May 2009. French actress Isabelle Huppert was the President of the Jury. Twenty films from thirteen countries were selected to compete for the Palme d'Or. The awards were announced on 23 M ...

where it received an eight-minute standing ovation and won three awards: the Art Cinema Award, the SACD Prize for screenplay, and the Prix Regards Jeunes. It also won a Lumière Award and four

Jutra Awards 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.Denis Villeneuve Denis Villeneuve (; born October 3, 1967) is a Canadian filmmaker. He is a four-time recipient of the Canadian Screen Award (formerly Genie Award) for Best Direction, winning for '' Maelström'' in 2001, '' Polytechnique'' in 2009, '' Incendie ...

's film (2009) in what was deemed an "upset". Dolan later said that the film was "flawed" and Peter Brunette of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'' called it "a somewhat uneven film that demonstrates a great deal of talent". Brunette also called the film "funny and audacious", while Allan Hunter of ''

Screen International ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involved in the global film business. ...

'' said that it possessed "the sting of shrewdly observed truth". The film received the Claude Jutra Award (now known as the

Canadian Screen Award for Best First Feature The John Dunning Best First Feature Award is a special Canadian film award, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to the year's best feature film by a first-time film director. Under the earlier names Claude Jutra Award and Ca ...

) at the Genies, and the

Toronto Film Critics Association The Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) is an organization of film critics from Toronto-based publications. As of 1999, the TFCA is a member of the FIPRESCI. History The Toronto Film Critics Association is the official organization of Toro ...

awarded Dolan the inaugural $5,000 Jay Scott Prize for emerging talent. ''I Killed My Mother'' was named one of Canada's Top Ten features of the year by 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 ...

(TIFF) and chosen as Canada's official entry for

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress# ...

for the 2010 Academy Awards, though it failed to receive a nomination from the academy. Distribution rights were later sold to more than 20 countries. Due to legal problems experienced by the film's U.S. distributor, Regent Entertainment, it was not released theatrically in the U.S. until 2013, and once released, it earned little at the box office. The second feature film Dolan directed, '' Heartbeats'' (), was financed privately. The film follows two friends who are infatuated with the same mysterious young man and their friendship suffers. It premiered 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 ...

category at the 63e Festival de Cannes in May 2010 where it received a standing ovation. It won the top prize of the Official Competition at the

Sydney Film Festival The Sydney Film Festival is an annual competitive film festival held in Sydney, Australia, usually over 12 days in June. A number of awards are given, the top one being the Sydney Film Prize. the festival's director is Nashen Moodley. Hist ...

in June and screened at several film festivals throughout 2011, but failed to find audiences in non-French-speaking countries. It received several Genie nominations and the AQCC (Québec association of film critics) award for Best Film. His third film, ''

Laurence Anyways ''Laurence Anyways'' is a 2012 Canadian romantic drama film written, directed and edited by Xavier Dolan. The film competed in the ''Un Certain Regard'' section at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival where Suzanne Clément won the Un Certain Regard A ...

'', was selected to compete in the section at the

2012 Cannes Film Festival The 65th Cannes Film Festival was held from 16 to 27 May 2012. Italian film director Nanni Moretti was the President of the Jury for the main competition and British actor Tim Roth was the President of the Jury for the Un Certain Regard sectio ...

. Suzanne Clément's performance in the film won the section's award for Best Actress. The film received praise or qualified praise from critics. A critic for

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

's ''The Out Take'', which focuses on

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term i ...

films, called the film "the best film of the year." Despite the praise, the film was not released commercially for a year. Upon release, the film struggled at the box office, and only grossed roughly $500,000 in Canada. Xavier Dolan Cannes 2014 2

In May 2012, Dolan announced that his fourth film would be an adaptation of

Michel Marc Bouchard Michel Marc Bouchard, (born February 2, 1958) is a Canadian playwright. He has received the Prix Journal de Montreal, Prix du Cercle des critiques de l'Outaouais, the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play, the Floyd S. Chalmers Canadia ...

's play '' Tom at the Farm'' (''Tom à la ferme''). It received its world premiere in the main competition section at the

on 2 September 2013 and won the FIPRESCI award. Though ''Tom at the Farm'' played the festival circuits in 2013, it was not released in the U.S. until 2015. In an August 2015 interview, Dolan said: "No one knows me in the States, because the movies have been released in such an awkward, irregular fashion, all by different distributors... I don't want to sound pretentious, but it's puzzling."

''Mommy''

Dolan's 2014 film, '' Mommy'', shared the

in the main competition section at the

with

Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as Fran ...

's film '' Goodbye to Language'' (). The jury president for the 2014 festival was

Jane Campion Dame Elizabeth Jane Campion (born 30 April 1954) is a New Zealand filmmaker. She is best known for writing and directing the critically acclaimed films '' The Piano'' (1993) and '' The Power of the Dog'' (2021), for which she has received a to ...

and, upon receiving the award, Dolan stated:

''
The Piano ''The Piano'' is a 1993 period drama film written and directed by Jane Campion. Starring Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, and Anna Paquin in her first major acting role, the film focuses on a mute Scottish woman who travels to a rem ...
'' ampion's filmwas the first film that I watched that truly defined who I am... It made me want to write films for beautiful women with soul and will and strength. To even stand on the same stage as you ampionis extraordinary.

The film was singled out by critics as Dolan's "most mature" film to date and proved to be a breakthrough in his career as a director. It was his first film to achieve significant success at the box office, grossing over $3.5 million domestically in 2014, becoming the highest-selling film in Quebec for 2014. According to the ''

Montreal Gazette The ''Montreal Gazette'', formerly titled ''The Gazette'', is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Three other daily English-language newspapers shuttered at various times during the second half of th ...

'', over one million people saw the film in France. ''Mommy'' won the

for Best Foreign Film in 2015.

''It's Only the End of the World''

Dolan's next film was an adaptation of the play by , titled ''

''. The film stars , , , and . Filming commenced in late May 2015. The film was an official selection for the

, in competition for the

Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

, though it did not win. The film premiered to polarized reactions from festival audiences and critics, with '' Vanity Fair'' calling it "the most disappointing film at Cannes." ''

'' called it "a cold and deeply unsatisfying" film and ''Variety'' dubbed it "a frequently excruciating dramatic experience". During the festival, Dolan spoke out against the negative criticism in the media. The film also received positive reviews from critics, including ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'', which called it a "brilliant, stylised and hallucinatory evocation of family dysfunction". Dolan stated that ''It's Only the End of the World'' is his best film and the one he's the most proud of. The film won the

and the

Ecumenical Jury Prize Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adje ...

. It was also featured in competition at the

in June 2016, and later screened at the

2016 Toronto International Film Festival The 41st annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 8 to 18 September 2016. The first announcement of films to be screened at the festival took place on 26 July. Almost 400 films were shown. Awards The festival's final awards were ...

. It was released in Quebec and France on 21 September 2016. In France, ''It's Only the End of the World'' was released to 391 screens, where it debuted at number one at the box office and sold 1,034,477 tickets. It was chosen as Canada's submission for the 2017

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language 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 December 2016, it made the shortlist of nine films under consideration for nomination as Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated in January 2017. On 7 December 2016, the film was named to the Toronto International Film Festival's annual Canada's Top 10 list. Xavier Dolan Césars 2017 2

, a French cinema website, gave the film an average of 3.3/5, based on a survey of 44 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". On review aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

, the film holds a 44% approval rating based on 32 reviews, with an average score of 5.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "''It's Only the End of the World'' is stocked with talent and boasts a story steeped in conflict, but the end result proves a disappointing misfire from writer-director Xavier Dolan." At

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 48, based on 11 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". For his work on ''It's Only the End of the World'', Dolan won the César Awards for Best Director and

Best Editing This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress# ...

at the 42nd ceremony on 24 February 2017. He also won 3

for Best Motion Picture, Best Achievement in Direction and Best Adapted Screenplay.

''The Death & Life of John F. Donovan''

In March 2013, Dolan was in pre-production for his first English-language film '' The Death & Life of John F. Donovan''; he co-wrote the screenplay with

Jacob Tierney Jacob Daniel Tierney (born September 26, 1979) is a Canadian actor, director, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for playing Eric in '' Are You Afraid of the Dark?'' (1990–1992) and as the co-writer, director, and executive producer o ...

. The film follows John F. Donovan ( Kit Harington), a Hollywood film actor whose life and career are turned upside-down when a gossip columnist (

Jessica Chastain Jessica Michelle Chastain (born March 24, 1977) is an American actress and producer. Known for primarily starring in films with feminist themes, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. ''Time' ...

) exposes his private correspondence with an 11-year-old British fan. The film also stars

Susan Sarandon Susan Abigail Sarandon (; née Tomalin; born October 4, 1946) is an American actorMcCabe, Bruce"Susan Sarandon, the 'actor'" ''Boston Globe''. April 17, 1981. Retrieved January 21, 2021. and activist. She is the recipient of various accolades, ...

as Donovan's mother and

Kathy Bates Kathleen Doyle Bates (born June 28, 1948) is an American actor and director. Known for her roles in comedic and dramatic films and television programs, she has received various accolades throughout her career spanning over five decades, includ ...

as his manager. In February 2018, Dolan confirmed via

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

that Chastain had been cut from the film, and that the story had been altered throughout post-production. The film had its world premiere at the

, making it Dolan's first film to premiere at the festival. Following its premiere at the festival, it received universally negative reviews from critics.

IndieWire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Holl ...

dubbed the film Dolan's "worst" of his career. ''

'' gave the film one out of five stars, deeming it a "dubious mess". ''

Now Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * Now ...

'' magazine called the film "mediocre at best". In a more positive review, ''

'' wrote that the film "may revisit a lot of familiar territory for Dolan but on this form it is good to welcome him home."

Dolan's eighth film was titled . It centres on the titular Matthias (played by Gabriel D'Almeida Freitas) and Maxime (played by Xavier Dolan), lifelong friends whose relationship is tested when they act in a short film whose script calls for them to kiss each other, leaving them both questioning their sexual identities when the experience awakens their long-dormant feelings for each other. The film had its world premiere 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 ...

on 22 May 2019. It was released theatrically on 9 October 2019 by Les Films Séville. In May 2020,

Mubi Mubi (; stylized as MUBI; The Auteurs before 2010) is a global curated film streaming platform, production company and film distributor. Mubi produces and theatrically distributes films by emerging and established filmmakers, which are exclusiv ...

acquired distribution rights to the film in the U.S, U.K, Ireland, Australia, Latin America, and India. In December 2019, the film was named to TIFF's annual year-end

Canada's Top Ten Canada's Top Ten is an annual honour, compiled by the Toronto International Film Festival and announced in December each year to identify and promote the year's best Canadian films."Canada's Top Ten awards will honour excellence in Canadian cinema". ...

list. The film was nominated for seven awards at the

22nd Quebec Cinema Awards The 22nd Quebec Cinema Awards were presented on 10 June 2020, to recognize talent and achievement in the cinema of Quebec. The planned 7 June ceremony was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but nominees were announced 23 April. Abenaki docume ...

, including Best Supporting Actor for Funk and Best Editing for Dolan. It won for Best Supporting Actress for Bernard, Best Music for Jean-Michel Blais, and Most Successful Film Outside Quebec.

Other work

In 2015, Dolan was selected to serve on the jury for the main competition section of the

2015 Cannes Film Festival The 68th Cannes Film Festival was held from 13 to 24 May 2015. Joel and Ethan Coen were the Presidents of the Jury for the main competition. It was the first time that two people chaired the jury. Since the Coen brothers each received a separat ...

. Also that year, he directed the music video for "

", the lead single from the album '' 25'' by

. The video broke the

Vevo Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, ...

record for most views in 24 hours, over 27.7 million views. The video was also notable for featuring footage shot in

IMAX IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating. Graem ...

. Dolan received the

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall o ...

for Video of the Year for directing the video. Dolan played supporting roles in two 2018 American films: ''

'', opposite

Lucas Hedges Lucas Hedges (born December 12, 1996) is an American actor. A son of filmmaker Peter Hedges, he studied theater at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Hedges began his acting career with a supporting role in Wes Anderson's come ...

and

Troye Sivan Troye Sivan Mellet ( ; born 5 June 1995) is an Australian singer-songwriter, actor and YouTuber. After gaining popularity as a singer on YouTube and in Australian talent competitions, Sivan signed with EMI Australia in 2013 and released his thir ...

, which premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival; and ''

'', as a British-accented music producer, Buddy Sunday. He appeared in the horror follow-up ''

'', which was released in September 2019. He has also starred in '' Lost Illusions'', an adaption of by , directed by

Xavier Giannoli Xavier Giannoli (born 7 March 1972) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer. In 2010, he was named a Chevalier in the ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order ...

. In December 2021, Dolan confirmed via

the end of the shooting of his first TV Drama, ''The Night Logan Woke Up'', based on

's play of the same name. Dolan co-owns along with producer Nancy Grant, the production company Sons of Manual.

Influences and style

Dolan has said that he is not particularly influenced by any specific directors, though in 2009, Dolan identified

Michael Haneke Michael Haneke (; born 23 March 1942) is an Austrian film director and screenwriter. His work often examines social issues and depicts the feelings of estrangement experienced by individuals in modern society. Haneke has made films in French, G ...

as one of his favourite directors for his precise camerawork and strong writing, citing Haneke's '' Funny Games'' and '' The Piano Teacher'' as favourites. At the

, Dolan said that ''

The Piano ''The Piano'' is a 1993 period drama film written and directed by Jane Campion. Starring Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, and Anna Paquin in her first major acting role, the film focuses on a mute Scottish woman who travels to a rem ...

'' by

was a major inspiration for him. He has also cited seeing the film ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unite ...

'' as an early influence on his decision to enter the film industry. He has mentioned paying tribute to '' My Own Private Idaho'' with a sequence in ''I Killed My Mother'', and that he was influenced by the frog rain scene at the end of ''

Magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendro ...

'', but said in 2013:

What I'm trying to say is that I'm not that influenced by directors.... I've read basically every review of my films because I'm crazy and I focus on what's negative and I want to know what people think—and why they think it. So many times I've been bullied into references and influences that were never mine by viewers that would project their opinions and associations and assumptions on me.... But let's get real: ideas travel and everything's been done, it's all a matter of interpreting things again now.

Personal life

Dolan is openly gay, and described his first film, ''I Killed My Mother'', as semi-autobiographical.

Filmography

Film

As filmmaker

Acting roles

As voice actor

Dolan is also a voice actor and has dubbed several films in

Quebec French Quebec French (french: français québécois ), also known as Québécois French, is the predominant variety of the French language spoken in Canada. It is the dominant language of the province of Quebec, used in everyday communication, in educ ...

. Note: Many films that are dubbed in French are also dubbed in the French spoken in Québec or in one of the versions of French known as international French. DVDs may be labelled VQ for "version Québécoise", which uses a Québécois accent and terms unique to that variety of the French language, or VFQ for "version francophone québécoise", which presents a generally neutral accent but pronounces English words in a way found in North America rather than in France. * 2000: ''

My Dog Skip {{Refimprove, date=March 2009 ''My Dog Skip'' is a memoir by Willie Morris published by Random House in 1995. ''My Dog Skip'' is the story about nine-year-old Willie Morris growing up in Yazoo City, Mississippi, a tale of a boy and his dog in ...

'' – Spit * 2000: ''

Pay it Forward Pay it forward is an expression for describing the beneficiary of a good deed repaying the kindness to others instead of to the original benefactor. The concept is old, but the particular phrase may have been coined by Lily Hardy Hammond in her 1 ...

'' – Trevor * 2001: ''

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' is a 1997 fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. The first novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series and Rowling's debut novel, it follows Harry Potter, a young wizard who discovers hi ...

'' –

Ron Weasley Ronald Bilius Weasley is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' fantasy novel series. His first appearance was in the first book of the series, ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', as the best friend of Harry Potte ...

* 2002: ''

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the second novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series. The plot follows Harry's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, ...

'' –

* 2002: ''

The Hunchback of Notre Dame II ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame II'' is a 2002 American animated musical film directed by Bradley Raymond. The direct-to-video sequel to the 1996 Disney film '' The Hunchback of Notre Dame'', the film was produced by Walt Disney Animation (Japa ...

'' – Zephyr * 2003: ''

Secondhand Lions ''Secondhand Lions'' is a 2003 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Tim McCanlies. It tells the story of an introverted young boy (Haley Joel Osment) who is sent to live with his eccentric great uncles (Robert Duvall and Michael C ...

'' – Walter * 2003: ''

The Jungle Book 2 ''The Jungle Book 2'' is a 2003 animated adventure film produced by the Australian office at DisneyToon Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution. The theatrical version of the film was released in France on Febr ...

'' –

Mowgli Mowgli () is a fictional character and the protagonist of Rudyard Kipling, Rudyard Kipling's ''The Jungle Book'' stories. He is a feral child, feral boy from the Pench National Park, Pench area in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh, India, who originally ap ...

* 2003: ''

Finding Nemo ''Finding Nemo'' is a 2003 American computer-animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Andrew Stanton with co-direction by Lee Unkrich, the screenplay was w ...

'' – Tad * 2004: ''

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and is the third in the ''Harry Potter'' series. The book follows Harry Potter, a young wizard, in his third year at Hogwarts School of W ...

'' –

* 2005: ''

Saw II ''Saw II'' is a 2005 horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by Leigh Whannell and Bousman. It is the sequel to 2004's '' Saw'' and the second installment in the ''Saw'' film series. The film stars Donnie Wahlberg, Franky G, ...

'' – Daniel Matthews * 2005: ''

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the fourth novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series. It follows Harry Potter, a wizard in his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and ...

'' –

* 2006: '' Grossology'' – Ty * 2006: ''

Alpha Dog ''Alpha Dog'' is a 2006 American crime film written and directed by Nick Cassavetes based on the true story of the kidnapping and murder of Nicholas Markowitz in 2000. The cast includes Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake, Ben Foster, Shawn ...

'' – Keith Stratten * 2007: ''

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the fifth novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series. It follows Harry Potter's struggles through his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Wi ...

'' –

* 2007: ''

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. ...

'' – Wesley Rhoades * 2007: '' Magi-Nation'' – Tony * 2007: '' Whistler'' – Quinn McKaye * 2008: '' High School Musical 3: Senior Year'' – Donnie Dion * 2008: ''

Twilight Twilight is light produced by sunlight scattering in the upper atmosphere, when the Sun is below the horizon, which illuminates the lower atmosphere and the Earth's surface. The word twilight can also refer to the periods of time when this ...

'' –

Jacob Black Jacob Black is a character in the ''Twilight'' book series by Stephenie Meyer. He is described as an attractive Native American of the Quileute tribe in La Push, near Forks, Washington. In the second book of the series, ''New Moon'', he disc ...

* 2009: ''

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the sixth and penultimate novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series. Set during Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts, the novel explores t ...

'' –

* 2009: '' The Twilight Saga: New Moon'' –

* 2009: '' South Park'' –

Stan Marsh Stanley Randell William Marsh is a fictional character in the adult animated television series '' South Park''. He is voiced by and loosely based on series co-creator Trey Parker. Stan is one of the series' four central characters, along with ...

* 2009: '' Planet 51'' – Skiff * 2010: '' Kick-Ass'' – Dave Lizewski / Kick-Ass * 2010: ''

How To Train Your Dragon ''How to Train Your Dragon'' (abbreviated ''HTTYD'') is an American media franchise from DreamWorks Animation and loosely based on the eponymous series of children's books by British author Cressida Cowell. It consists of three feature films: ...

'' – Hiccup * 2010: '' The Twilight Saga: Eclipse'' –

* 2010: ''

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1'' is a 2010 fantasy film directed by David Yates from a screenplay by Steve Kloves. The film is the first of two cinematic parts based on the 2007 novel '' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hall ...

'' – Ron Weasley * 2011: ''

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2'' is a 2011 fantasy film directed by David Yates from a screenplay by Steve Kloves. The film is the second of two cinematic parts based on the 2007 novel ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ...

'' – Ron Weasley * 2011: ''

My Week with Marilyn ''My Week with Marilyn'' is a 2011 biographical film directed by Simon Curtis and written by Adrian Hodges. It stars Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, Eddie Redmayne, Dominic Cooper, Julia Ormond, Emma Watson, and Judi Dench. Based on ...

'' – Colin Clark * 2011: ''

Abduction Abduction may refer to: Media Film and television * "Abduction" (''The Outer Limits''), a 2001 television episode * " Abduction" (''Death Note'') a Japanese animation television series * " Abductions" (''Totally Spies!''), a 2002 episode of an ...

'' – Nathan Harper * 2011: '' The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1'' –

* 2011: ''

The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (french: Les Schtroumpfs; nl, De Smurfen) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was first created and i ...

'' – Brainy Smurf * 2012: '' John Carter'' – Edgar Rice Burroughs * 2012: ''

The Hunger Games ''The Hunger Games'' is a series of young adult dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The first three novels are part of a trilogy following teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and the fourth book is a prequel se ...

'' – Peeta Mellark * 2012: ''

Life of Pi ''Life of Pi'' is a Canadian philosophical novel by Yann Martel published in 2001. The protagonist is Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, an Indian boy from Pondicherry, India who explores issues of spirituality and metaphysics from an early age. He ...

'' – Pi Patel * 2012: ''

Chernobyl Diaries ''Chernobyl Diaries'' is a 2012 American disaster horror film co-written and produced by Oren Peli and directed by Brad Parker, in his directorial debut. The film stars Jonathan Sadowski, Jesse McCartney, Devin Kelley, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Ing ...

'' – Chris * 2013: '' Kick-Ass 2'' – Dave Lizewski / Kick-Ass * 2014: ''

Maleficent Maleficent ( or ) is a fictional character who appears as the main antagonist in Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Productions' List of Walt Disney Animation Studios films, 16th animated feature film, ''Sleeping Beauty (1959 film), Slee ...

'' – Prince Philip * 2014: ''

The Maze Runner ''The Maze Runner'' is a 2009 young adult dystopian science fiction novel written by American author James Dashner and the first book released in ''The Maze Runner'' series. The novel was published on October 6, 2009, by Delacorte Press, an i ...

'' – Thomas * 2014: '' The Theory of Everything'' – Stephen Hawking * 2014: ''

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ''The Amazing Spider-Man 2'' (internationally titled ''The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro'') is a 2014 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. The film was directed by Marc Webb and produced by Avi ...

'' –

Harry Osborn Harold Theopolis "Harry" Osborn is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Spider-Man. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ' ...

* 2015: '' Inside Out'' – Fear * 2015: ''

Paper Towns ''Paper Towns'' is a novel written by John Green, primarily for an audience of young adults, and was published on October 16, 2008, by Dutton Books. The novel is about the coming-of-age of the protagonist, Quentin "Q" Jacobsen and his search fo ...

'' – Quentin "Q" Jacobsen * 2015: '' Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials'' – Thomas * 2015: '' The Danish Girl'' – Einar Wegener / Lili Elbe (Lili Elvenes) * 2016: '' Everybody Wants Some!!'' – Jake * 2016: ''

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them ''Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'' (often referred to as simply ''Fantastic Beasts'') is a 2001 guide book written by British author J. K. Rowling (under the pen name of the fictitious author Newt Scamander) about the magical creatu ...

'' –

Newt Scamander Newton Artemis Fido "Newt" Scamander is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''Fantastic Beasts'' film series. Initially, Newt Scamander was only mentioned in ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' as the author of the bo ...

* 2017: ''

The Emoji Movie ''The Emoji Movie'' is a 2017 American computer-animated science fiction comedy film produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. Directed by Tony Leondis, who wrote the script with Eri ...

'' - Gene * 2018: '' Maze Runner: The Death Cure'' - Thomas * 2018: '' Anatane: Saving the Children of Okura'' - Anatane * 2018: '' Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald'' –

* 2019: '' Spider-Man: Far From Home'' - Brad Davis * 2019: '' The Death & Life of John F. Donovan'' - John F. Donovan * 2021: '' Dune: Part One'' -

Paul Atreides Paul Atreides (; later known as Paul Muad'Dib, and later still as The Preacher) is a fictional character in the ''Dune'' universe created by Frank Herbert. Paul is the primary protagonist in the first two novels in the series, ''Dune'' (1965 ...

* 2022: '' Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore'' –

As music video director

Frequent collaborators

Accolades

Books on Xavier Dolan

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dolan, Xavier 1989 births Best Director César Award winners Canadian male television actors Canadian male film actors Canadian male child actors Film directors from Montreal Canadian screenwriters in French Canadian male voice actors French-language film directors Canadian gay actors Knights of the National Order of Quebec LGBT film directors LGBT screenwriters Living people Male actors from Montreal Members of the Order of Canada Canadian people of Coptic descent Canadian people of Lebanese descent Canadian people of Egyptian descent Canadian gay writers 20th-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Canadian male actors Best First Feature Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners French Quebecers Writers from Montreal Canadian film producers LGBT film producers Best Director Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Best Editing Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Best Screenplay Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Best Costume Design Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Canadian music video directors Juno Award for Video of the Year winners Best Director Jutra and Iris Award winners

Early life

Career

Early films

''Mommy''

''It's Only the End of the World''

''The Death & Life of John F. Donovan''

Other work

Influences and style

Personal life

Filmography

Film

As filmmaker

Acting roles

As voice actor

As music video director

Frequent collaborators

Accolades

Books on Xavier Dolan

See also

References

Further reading

External links