Amanita Pestilens

René Bonnière is a Canadian film director and editor, originally from France. He has had a prolific career, working in television and film in both French and English productions. He first began his film career in France as a director for the French army, working alongside Henri Colpi and composer Georges Delerue. He then worked as an assistant to filmmaking pioneer Marcel L'Herbier. He emigrated from France in 1955, arriving in New York City with his wife, Claude, on the SS Flandre. Bonnière spent six months working at a bank on Wall Street before looking north for a return to the film industry. He contacted filmmaker F. R. Crawley and the National Film Board of Canada (NFB); Crawley met him in New York and invited him to move to Canada. From 1956 to 1971, he worked for Crawley Films, directing dozens of films. His first works were Beaver Dam, Maîtres artisans du Canada and The Legend of the Raven. He also collaborated with Pierre Perrault, considered one of Quebec's finest filmmakers. In 1963, he directed Amanita Pestilens, the first Canadian film in colour and the first to be shot simultaneously in French and English. His work for Crawley helped bridge the gap between Canada's French- and English-language films. He also worked for the NFB, producing several documentaries, many about Canada's indigenous communities.