Émile Gaudreault, ( born March 6, 1964) is a Quebec director, author, screenwriter and producer. Since 1994, he has been directing, writing and producing feature films as well as episodes for television series. Several of his films have won awards in Quebec and Canada and have been adapted for the United States and France.
Early life Émile Gaudreault was born in Sainte-Foy to a mother who was a teacher and a father who taught theology. During his childhood, he moved to the Lac-Saint-Jean region, first to Lac-à-la-Croix, then to Alma and finally to Jonquière, where he studied art and media technology at Cégep.
Career Émile Gaudreault made his debut as an author and also on stage, in the comedy shows of the Groupe Sanguin.
For the big screen, he co-wrote Louis 19, King of the Airwaves (), a comedy that was the highest-grossing Canadian film in 1994 and won the Golden Screen Award, in addition to being the subject of an American remake under the title of Edtv (directed by Ron Howard).
In 2001, he directed his first feature film, Wedding Night (), another successful comedy that won the Golden Reel (Genie Award) for the highest-grossing Canadian film.
He then co-wrote and directed Mambo Italiano, released in theatres in 30 countries. The film deals with coming out in the Italian community.
In 2007, he directed Surviving My Mother, which won the prize for the most popular Canadian film at the Montreal World Film Festival.
In 2009, the fourth film he directed, Father and Guns (), received critical and popular success and as such this film was awarded the Golden Reel Award for the highest-grossing Canadian film.
Then followed A Sense of Humour () in 2011, Le Vrai du Faux in 2014, and Père Fils Thérapie, a remake of De père en flic shot in France with a French cast.
In 2017, he returned with a sequel to Father and Guns 2 () which won the Golden Screen award for the highest-grossing Canadian film.
In 2018, he was awarded the lifetime achievement Bobine d'or by the Association of Quebec Cinema Owners.
His latest feature film Compulsive Liar () is released in the summer of 2019 and is named at the end of the same year "Canadian Film of the Year" by Playback Magazine.
In 2017, Émile Gaudreault created his company “Les films du lac” which would be a partner for the production of the films Menteur and Lignes de fuite, feature films which he co-wrote as well. He also co-produced the latter.
By passing the $30 million mark at the box office with the release of Compulsive Liar, a first for Quebec, Gaudreault shows that his cinematic style appeals to Quebec audiences.
In July 2022 will be released a French remake of Compulsive Liar produced by Gaumont and directed by Olivier Baroux (Entre amis, Les Tuche).
Filmography Year Title Director Writer Producer 1994 Louis 19, King of the Airwaves (Louis 19, le roi des ondes) 2001 Wedding Night (Nuit de noces) 2003 Mambo Italiano 2005 Instant Idol (Idole instantanée) 2009 Father and Guns (De père en flic) 2011 A Sense of Humour (Le Sens de l'humour) 2014 Real Lies (Le vrai du faux) 2015 Ego Trip 2017 Father and Guns 2 (De père en flic 2) 2019 Compulsive Liar (Menteur) 2022 Lines of Escape (Lignes de fuite) 2025 Compulsive Liar 2 (Menteuse)
Accolades +YearRecipientAwardCategoryRef 1992 Prise 2 (Le Groupe Sanguin) ADISQ Billet platine from ADISQ(certifying one hundred thousand tickets sold)1994Louis 19, King of the Airwaves Canadian Screen Award Best First Feature Golden Reel Award Top-grossing Canadian film Best Canadian Screenplay Vancouver International Film Festival 2002 Wedding Night Golden Reel Award Top-grossing Canadian film 2007 Surviving My Mother Montréal World Film Festival Most Popular Canadian Feature Film 2009 Father and GunsGolden Reel AwardTop-grossing Canadian film 2017 Father and Guns 2 2018Émile Gaudreault Association of Quebec Cinema Owners Lifetime achievement2020 La Presse Person of the yearCompulsive Liar Playback Magazine Canadian Film of the Year Canadian Screen Awards Golden Screen Award for Feature Film
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