Michèle Cournoyer received a Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts in 2017 in recognition of her exceptional career as a leading figure in Canadian and Quebecois animation. Her powerful films are a testament to minimalist, black and white storytelling, that often addresses difficult themes with a singular sense of finesse and humour. Born in 1943 in Saint-Joseph-de-Sorel, Michèle studied graphic arts, photography, and animation. In the 1970s, she personally directed several experimental and independent short films, while also acting as a decorator, artistic director, costume designer and screenwriter in several Quebec films, such as Gilles Carle's La mort d’un bûcheron (1973) and Mireille Dansereau's L’arrache-cœur (1979) . In 1989, she won the 9th Cinéaste Recherche contest hosted by the NFB French Animation Program, and went on to direct several other prestigious films, such as A Feather Tale (1992), which depicts a cruel game in which love is stripped of its golden glow, Accordion (2004), which was presented in competition at the Cannes Festival and deals with romantic relationships in the era of technological mediation, and her latest film Soif (2009), which deals with alcoholism. Michèle left the NFB in 2009 but her legacy and talent lives on in the playlist below, where we invite you to view her films.
Michèle Cournoyer received a Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts in 2017 in recognition of her exceptional career as a leading figure in Canadian and Quebecois animation. Her powerful films are a testament to minimalist, black and white storytelling, that often addresses difficult themes with a singular sense of finesse and humour.
Born in 1943 in Saint-Joseph-de-Sorel, Michèle studied graphic arts, photography, and animation. In the 1970s, she personally directed several experimental and independent short films, while also acting as a decorator, artistic director, costume designer and screenwriter in several Quebec films, such as Gilles Carle's La mort d’un bûcheron (1973) and Mireille Dansereau's L’arrache-cœur (1979) .
In 1989, she won the 9th Cinéaste Recherche contest hosted by the NFB French Animation Program, and went on to direct several other prestigious films, such as A Feather Tale (1992), which depicts a cruel game in which love is stripped of its golden glow, Accordion (2004), which was presented in competition at the Cannes Festival and deals with romantic relationships in the era of technological mediation, and her latest film Soif (2009), which deals with alcoholism.
Michèle left the NFB in 2009 but her legacy and talent lives on in the playlist below, where we invite you to view her films.