François Delisle

Canadian multi-hyphenate François Delisle was the creative focal point for a number of critically acclaimed and intensely personal experimental French-language dramas, including "Happiness is a Sad Song" (2002), "You" (2007), "The Meteor" (2013) and "Chorus" (2014), which established him as an adventurous filmmaker with an uncompromising independent vision. Born March 22, 1967 in Montreal, Quebec, Delisle began making experimental film shorts prior to studying cinema at Montreal's Concordia University. While there, he continued to write and direct short projects before making a name for himself on the festival circuit with "Beebe-Plain" (1991), which earned him a best director award from Rendez-Vous Cinéma du Québécois. Delisle soon launched his own production company, Gatchet Films, through which he made his first feature-length effort, "Ruth" (1994). Nearly a decade would pass before Delisle would make his second film, "Happiness is a Sad Song," this time through his second production company, Films 53/12. The offbeat project, about a young publicist attempting to understand happiness by interviewing strangers on the streets of Montreal, won best feature at the Festival International due cinema Francophone in Acadie, and toured the world at over 20 festivals. In 2007, he directed "You," which starred Anne-Marie Cadieux in a Genie-nominated turn as a woman who abandons her family in order to indulge in an affair with a carefree musician. A success on the international art house circuit, "You" helped to firmly establish Delisle as a major figure in Canadian film, and was soon followed by "Twice a Woman" (2010), a powerful drama about a woman who changes her identity after fleeing an abusive husband. Delisle then took the lead role in his next project, "The Meteor," about the impact of a man's incarceration on the lives of the people around him. Another international success, "The Meteor" lend Delisle the clout to produce other filmmakers' projects, including Catherine Martin's "A Journey" (2013) and Julie Hivon's "What Are We Doing Here?" (2013) through his 53/12 shingle. The following year, he returned to the director's chair for "Chorus," an intense drama about a couple who separate after the disappearance of their son, only to reunite when his remains appear to be discovered. The film, starring Canadian acting legend Geneviève Bujold, was selected to premiere at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.