A Manner of Living
With fifteen films made over more than forty years, Micheline Lanctôt is an essential figure in Quebec cinema. From L’homme à tout faire to Autrui, from Sonatine (Silver Lion, 1984) to Une manière de vivre, this conviction-driven filmmaker, known for her precise writing, has often borne witness to her times, always one step ahead. It's high time we revisit her films on the big screen to fully appreciate their impact. Key films from her acting career round out the program.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Micheline Lanctôt
Colette’s husband commits suicide, and she feels terrible guilt for not having been at his side when he died. Her daughter Gabrielle lives in an emotional turmoil. Suffering from bulimia, she has to work as an escort to feed her disorder, and after abandoning college, leads a life without purpose or meaning. Joseph is a master lecturer on Dutch philosopher Spinoza at a university in Belgium. He is invited to Montreal to participate in a debate on Spinoza and his philosophy, but his life is not as serene as it seems and his marriage is rocky. These three bereaved characters will collide, and their respective lives will be changed forever.
Micheline Lanctôt
Micheline Lanctôt completed a Bachelor of Arts degree, as well as studies in music and visual arts. She devoted herself passionately to creating animated films for almost seven years, alongside pursuing an acting career, beginning with La vraie nature de Bernadette in 1972, which won her an interpretation award. Then she proceeded with several other films, including The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, which won the Golden Bear at the Berlinale in 1974. In 1980, she wrote and directed her first feature, L'homme à tout faire, which was selected for the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival and won a Silver Medal at the San Sebastián Film Festival. Her second feature, Sonatine, won her the Silver Lion at the 1984 Venice Film Festival. Since then, she has written about twenty screenplays, directed twelve feature films, including one documentary, published two novels, three translations, won numerous awards as an actress and director, and keeps working as an actress in television and film. She also taught screen writing and directing at Concordia University for 36 years. She received the Prix Albert-Tessier 2000, the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award 2003 and the Prix Jutra Hommage 2014.
Photo: Anna Lupien | Collections de la Cinémathèque québécoise
