Simon Lavoie

Simon Lavoie (born May 15, 1979) is a Canadian film director and screenwriter from Quebec.[1] He is best known as codirector with Mathieu Denis of Those Who Make Revolution Halfway Only Dig Their Own Graves (Ceux qui font les révolutions à moitié n'ont fait que se creuser un tombeau), which won the award for Best Canadian Film at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival[2] and garnered several Canadian Screen Award nominations at the 5th Canadian Screen Awards in 2017, including for Best Picture and Best Director.[3]

He made a number of short films — including The White Chapel (Une chapelle blanche), which won the Prix Jutra for Best Short Film in 2006[1] — before making his feature film debut in 2008 with The Deserter (Le Déserteur).[4] He first collaborated with Denis on the 2011 film Laurentia (Laurentie),[5] and followed up with The Torrent (Le Torrent) in 2012.[6]

His next project, The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches (La petite fille qui aimait trop les allumettes), a film adaptation of Gaétan Soucy's novel of the same name, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2017.[7] It received an honorable mention for Best Canadian Film,[8] and received a nomination for Best Motion Picture at the 2018 Canadian Screen Awards.[9]

His next film, No Trace (Nulle trace), premiered in 2021.[10] He also wrote the screenplay for the 2022 film Norbourg, directed by Maxime Giroux.[11]

His most recent film, Dissolution (Se fondre), premiered at the 2024 Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b "Simon Lavoie sur les traces d'un déserteur". La Presse, October 21, 2008.
  2. ^ "TIFF People's Choice Award cements La La Land's place in Oscar race". Entertainment Weekly, September 18, 2016.
  3. ^ "The Canadian Screen Awards nominations are out!". Now, January 17, 2017.
  4. ^ "Déserteur, Le – Film de Simon Lavoie". Films du Québec, January 7, 2009.
  5. ^ "Laurentie: l’indicible malaise". Voir, November 27, 2012.
  6. ^ "La ferveur d’un Torrent". Le Devoir, October 20, 2012.
  7. ^ "La petite fille qui aimait trop les allumettes présenté en première mondiale au TIFF". Ici Radio-Canada. 9 August 2017.
  8. ^ Wilner, Norman (17 September 2017). "TIFF 2017: And The Winners Are ..." Now. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  9. ^ Nick Patch, "Are the Canadian Screen Awards too Canadian?". Toronto Star, March 8, 2018.
  10. ^ André Duchesne, "Nulle trace de Simon Lavoie ouvrira le festival Slamdance". La Presse, November 30, 2020.
  11. ^ Élizabeth Lepage-Boily, "Vincent-Guillaume Otis brille dans la nouvelle bande-annonce de Norbourg". Showbizz, December 14, 2021.
  12. ^ Luc Boulanger, "Plus de 200 films pour la 42e édition". La Presse, February 1, 2024.