The Pursuit of Happiness
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.
Did we really buy the American formula for happiness at a discount? In a society based on objects, consuming has become a cultural gesture. Like chickens skewered on a conveyor belt, we live and die in series.
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
