François Delisle is a Canadian film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, editor, actor, and composer.
Career
Between 1987 and 1990, François Delisle directed several experimental short films. Some of them were selected for various international festivals. In 1991, François Delisle came to critics’ attention when he was named best new director of short and medium-length films at the Rendez-Vous du cinéma québécois for his medium-length film Beebe-Plain. In 1994, Ruth, François Delisle's first feature film, was named best feature of the year and best screenplay at the Rendez-Vous du cinéma québécois. Ruth drew critical acclaim and was screened in Canada and Europe. In 2002, François Delisle founded the company Films 53/12 to direct and produce his second feature; Happiness is a Sad Song. After winning the award for best feature at the Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie and named the best film of the year award from the Association québécoise des critiques de cinéma, Happiness is a Sad Song went on to international recognition when it toured the world to over twenty festivals and film events. In 2007, François Delisle released his third feature film, You. In international competition at the Montreal World Film Festival, You was a shock for both audiences and critics. Fragile yet uncompromising, You has done the rounds nationally and internationally. In 2010, after appearing at festivals around the world, Twice a Woman, his fourth film, opened on Quebec screens. A critical and audience favourite here and around the world, the film appeared simultaneously in theatres and through video on demand, a first in Canada. Twice a Woman earned two nominations for a Prix Jutra in 2011. His fifth feature film, The Meteor, hit Quebec screens in March 2013 after its world premiere at the Sundance Festival and the 63rd Berlin Festival. The film was a hit with critics and audiences in Canada and around the world. The Meteor won the Association québécoise des critiques de Festival. In 2015, Chorus, his sixth feature, drew unprecedented international recognition. The film, which was in competition at the Sundance Festival and screened at the 65th Berlin Festival, prompted critical raves when it was released. Its success led to it being selected for film festivals and given a theatrical release in many countries around the world, contributing to its major international impact. Films 53/12 is a space where François Delisle ardently champions personal, independent cinema through his involvement in both the creative and the production sides of film. He now pursues this commitment to film distribution since he co-founded Fragments Distribution in 2015.
In an interview with Zack Sharf of IndieWire, Delisle talked about Chorus: Whether we like it or not, life and death are connected in our very being. The story, which is not even loosely inspired by true events, is intended to be a kind of questioning or artistic one-on-one with death and life at the same time. So I'm tackling a fundamental, inevitable and forbidden subject, forbidden because death is Western society's ultimate taboo. In that sense, I think that the experience of "Chorus" can be unsettling and emotional because I always try to include the spectator in the stories I tell. Lived experience makes us richer human beings, which is what I love about cinema.
