Québec Cinéma presents an annual award for Best Director () to recognize the best in the Cinema of Quebec.
Until 2016, it was known as the Jutra Award for Best Director in memory of influential Quebec film director Claude Jutra. Following the withdrawal of Jutra's name from the award, the 2016 award was presented under the name Québec Cinéma. The Prix Iris name was announced in October 2016.
Xavier Dolan received the most nominations, with six, while Denis Villeneuve received the most awards, with three. Villeneuve is the only director to win two consecutive awards, for Polytechnique in 2010 and Incendies 2011, while Dolan is the only director to receive two nominations in the same year, for Mommy and Tom at the Farm (Tom à la ferme) in 2015.
To date, twenty women were nominated for a total of twenty-seven nominations, with Léa Pool, Anne Émond, Sophie Dupuis, Monia Chokri and Sophie Deraspe receiving multiple nominations. The first to receive a nomination was Manon Briand at the first ceremony for 2 Seconds (2 secondes). Six women have won the award so far, the first being Lyne Charlebois in 2009 for Borderline.
1990s Year Director Film Ref 1999 1st Jutra Awards François Girard The Red Violin (Le violon rouge) "Les Prix Jutras / The Jutra Awards". Northern Stars. Manon Briand 2 Seconds (2 secondes) "Red Violin leads pack for Jutra Awards". The Globe and Mail, January 28, 1999. Robert Lepage Nô Denis Villeneuve August 32nd on Earth (Un 32 août sur terre)
2000s Year Director Film Ref 2000 2nd Jutra Awards Louis Bélanger Post Mortem François Bouvier Winter Stories (Histoires d'hiver) Brendan Kelly, "Jutras go art-house: Auteur films pile up nominations for Quebec awards". Montreal Gazette, January 27, 2000. Jean-Philippe Duval Matroni and Me (Matroni et moi) Léa Pool Set Me Free (Emporte-moi) 2001 3rd Jutra Awards Denis Villeneuve Maelström Philippe Falardeau The Left-Hand Side of the Fridge (La moitié gauche du frigo) "Maelstrom hooks 8 more: Villeneuve's talking-fish flick leads pack of Quebec film award nominees". Montreal Gazette, January 24, 2001. Robert Favreau The Orphan Muses (Les muses orphelines) Michel Jetté Hochelaga 2002 4th Jutra Awards André Turpin Soft Shell Man (Un crabe dans la tête) Denis Chouinard Tar Angel (L'ange de goudron) "Quebec Jutra awards finalists announced". Screen Daily, January 24, 2002. Pierre Falardeau February 15, 1839 (15 février 1839) Catherine Martin Marriages (Mariages) 2003 5th Jutra Awards Ricardo Trogi Québec-Montréal Michael MacKenzie The Baroness and the Pig John Griffin, "Seraphin leads with 9 Jutra nominations". Montreal Gazette, January 29, 2003. Robert Morin The Negro (Le nèg') Kim Nguyen The Marsh (Le marais) 2004 6th Jutra Awards Denys Arcand The Barbarian Invasions (Les invasions barbares) Louis Bélanger Gaz Bar Blues Odile Tremblay, "Les Invasions barbares, La Grande Séduction et Gaz Bar Blues dominent la course aux Jutra". Le Devoir, January 22, 2004. Bernard Émond 8:17 p.m. Darling Street (20h17 rue Darling) Jean-François Pouliot Seducing Doctor Lewis (La grande Séduction) 2005 7th Jutra Awards Francis Leclerc Looking for Alexander (Mémoires affectives) Denise Filiatrault Bittersweet Memories (Ma vie en cinémascope) Martin Bilodeau, "Ma vie en cinémascope domine les nominations des Jutra". Le Devoir, January 25, 2005. Pierre Houle Machine Gun Molly (Monica la mitraille) Yves Pelletier Love and Magnets (Les aimants) 2006 8th Jutra Awards Jean-Marc Vallée C.R.A.Z.Y. Charles Binamé The Rocket (Maurice Richard) Odile Tremblay, "Maurice Richard et C.R.A.Z.Y. dominent la course aux Jutra". Le Devoir, February 8, 2006. Bernard Émond The Novena (La neuvaine) Ricardo Trogi Dodging the Clock (Horloge biologique) 2007 9th Jutra Awards Philippe Falardeau Congorama Érik Canuel Bon Cop, Bad Cop Manon Dumais, "Canuel vs. Favreau aux Jutras". Voir, January 23, 2007. Robert Favreau A Sunday in Kigali (Un dimanche à Kigali) Claude Gagnon Kamataki 2008 10th Jutra Awards Stéphane Lafleur Continental, a Film Without Guns (Continental, un film sans fusil) Denys Arcand Days of Darkness (L'âge des ténèbres) Karl Filion, "Jutra 2008 : Les 3 p'tits cochons domine avec 13 nominations". Cinoche, February 6, 2008. Fernand Dansereau Twilight (La brunante) Bernard Émond Summit Circle (Contre toute espérance) 2009 11th Jutra Awards Lyne Charlebois Borderline Yves Christian Fournier Everything Is Fine (Tout est parfait) Charles-Henri Ramond, "Jutra 2009: liste des nommés". Films du Québec, March 24, 2009. Robert Morin Daddy Goes Ptarmigan Hunting (Papa à la chasse aux lagopèdes) Benoît Pilon The Necessities of Life (Ce qu'il faut pour vivre)
2010s Year Director Film Ref 2010 12th Jutra Awards Denis Villeneuve Polytechnique Marie-Hélène Cousineau and Madeline Ivalu Before Tomorrow (Le jour avant le lendemain) "Jutra : liste des finalistes". La Presse, February 16, 2010. Xavier Dolan I Killed My Mother (J'ai tué ma mère) Jean-Philippe Duval Through the Mist (Dédé, à travers les brumes) Ricardo Trogi 1981 2011 13th Jutra Awards Denis Villeneuve Incendies Denis Côté Curling "Neuf prix pour Incendies". Le Journal de Montréal, March 13, 2011. Xavier Dolan Heartbeats (Les amours imaginaires) Daniel Grou 10½ Kim Nguyen City of Shadows (La cité) 2012 14th Jutra Awards Philippe Falardeau Monsieur Lazhar Anne Émond Nuit #1 Charles-Henri Ramond, "Prix Jutra 2012: voilà les nominations". Films du Québec, January 31, 2012. Micheline Lanctôt For the Love of God (Pour l'amour de Dieu) Ken Scott Starbuck Jean-Marc Vallée Café de Flore 2013 15th Jutra Awards Kim Nguyen War Witch (Rebelle) Xavier Dolan Laurence Anyways "Jutra : Laurence anyways et Rebelle en tête des nominations". Ici Radio-Canada, January 31, 2013. Ivan Grbovic Romeo Eleven (Roméo Onze) Daniel Grou L'Affaire Dumont Rafaël Ouellet Camion 2014 16th Jutra Awards Louise Archambault Gabrielle Denis Côté Vic and Flo Saw a Bear (Vic+Flo ont vu un ours) Manon Dumais, "Jutra 2014: Le triomphe de Louis Cyr". Voir, March 23, 2014. Robert Lepage and Pedro Pires Triptych (Triptyque) Sébastien Pilote The Dismantling (Le démantèlement) Daniel Roby Louis Cyr (Louis Cyr: L'homme le plus fort du monde) 2015 17th Jutra Awards Xavier Dolan Mommy Xavier Dolan Tom at the Farm (Tom à la ferme) Charles-Henri Ramond, "Jutra 2015 : les nominations". Films du Québec, January 26, 2015. Stéphane Lafleur You're Sleeping Nicole (Tu dors Nicole) Robert Morin 3 Indian Tales (3 histoires d'indiens) Denis Villeneuve Enemy 2016 18th Quebec Cinema Awards Léa Pool The Passion of Augustine (La passion d'Augustine) Maxime Demers, "La passion d’Augustine triomphe". Le Journal de Montréal, March 20, 2016. Mathieu Denis Corbo Anne Émond Our Loved Ones (Les êtres chers) Maxime Giroux Felix and Meira (Félix et Meira) Philippe Lesage The Demons (Les démons) 2017 19th Quebec Cinema Awards Xavier Dolan It's Only the End of the World (Juste la fin du monde) Pat Mullen, "'It's Only the End of the World' Leads Quebec's Prix Iris Winners". Cinemablographer, June 4, 2017. Louis Bélanger Bad Seeds (Les mauvaises herbes) Bachir Bensaddek Montreal, White City (Montréal la blanche) Chloé Leriche Before the Streets (Avant les rues) Kim Nguyen Two Lovers and a Bear 2018 20th Quebec Cinema Awards Robin Aubert Ravenous (Les affamés) "Les affamés et Robin Aubert triomphent au Gala Québec Cinéma". Ici Radio-Canada, June 3, 2018. Darren Curtis Boost André Duchesne, "Iris: Le problème d'infiltration et Hochelaga en tête des nominations". La Presse, April 10, 2018. Sophie Dupuis Family First (Chien de garde) Robert Morin Infiltration (Le problème d'infiltration) Luc Picard Cross My Heart (Les rois mongols) 2019 21st Quebec Cinema Awards Ricardo Trogi 1991 Marc-André Lussier, "Gala Québec Cinéma: 1991 sacré meilleur film de l’année". La Presse, June 2, 2019. Denis Côté Ghost Town Anthology (Répertoire des villes disparues) Geneviève Dulude-De Celles A Colony (Une colonie) Maxime Giroux The Great Darkened Days (La grande noirceur) Yan Giroux For Those Who Don't Read Me (À tous ceux qui ne me lisent pas)
2020s Year Director Film Ref 2020 22nd Quebec Cinema Awards Sophie Deraspe Antigone Monia Chokri A Brother's Love (La femme de mon frère) "Les femmes brillent aux nominations du Gala Québec Cinéma". Ici Radio-Canada, April 23, 2020. Guillaume de Fontenay Sympathy for the Devil (Sympathie pour le diable) Matthew Rankin The Twentieth Century Myriam Verreault Kuessipan 2021 23rd Quebec Cinema Awards Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette Goddess of the Fireflies (La déesse des mouches à feu) Sophie Dupuis Underground (Souterrain) Charles-Henri Ramond, "La déesse des mouches à feu en tête des nominations". Films du Québec, April 26, 2021. Philippe Falardeau My Salinger Year Benoît Pilon The Vinland Club (Le club Vinland) Daniel Roby Target Number One 202224th Quebec Cinema Awards Ivan Grbovic Drunken Birds (Les oiseaux ivres) François Lévesque, "Hélène Florent aux oiseaux au Gala Québec Cinéma". Le Devoir, June 5, 2022. Tracey Deer Beans Charles-Henri Ramond, "Finalistes aux Prix Iris 2022". Films du Québec, April 14, 2022. Maxime Giroux Norbourg Kaveh Nabatian Without Havana (Sin la Habana) Sébastien Pilote Maria Chapdelaine 202325th Quebec Cinema Awards Stéphane Lafleur Viking Maxime Demers, "Le film «Viking», de Stéphane Lafleur, grand gagnant du 25e Gala Québec Cinéma". Le Journal de Montréal, December 10, 2023. Monia Chokri Babysitter Maxime Demers, "Gala Québec Cinéma: le film «Viking» en tête des nominations". Le Journal de Montréal, November 14, 2023. Francis Leclerc The Dishwasher (Le plongeur) Rafaël Ouellet Family Game (Arseneault et fils) Pascal Plante Red Rooms (Les chambres rouges) 202426th Quebec Cinema Awards Monia Chokri The Nature of Love (Simple comme Sylvain) "Suivez notre couverture en direct du 26e Gala Québec Cinéma". Ici Radio-Canada, December 8, 2024. Pier-Philippe Chevigny Richelieu "Vampire humaniste domine le Gala Québec Cinéma avec 22 nominations". Ici Radio-Canada, October 8, 2024. Sophie Dupuis Solo Ariane Louis-Seize Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant) Ricardo Trogi 1995 202527th Quebec Cinema Awards Matthew Rankin Universal Language (Une langue universelle) "Voici la liste des gagnants du Gala Québec Cinéma". TVA Nouvelles, December 7, 2025. Sophie Deraspe Shepherds (Bergers) "Québec Cinéma dévoile les finalistes aux Prix IRIS 2025". CTVM, October 8, 2025. Anne Émond Peak Everything (Amour apocalypse) Philippe Lesage Who by Fire (Comme le feu) Chloé Robichaud Two Women (Deux femmes en or)
Multiple wins and nominations
Multiple wins Wins Director 3 Denis Villeneuve 2 Xavier Dolan Philippe Falardeau Stéphane Lafleur Ricardo Trogi
Three or more nominations Nominations Director 6 Xavier Dolan 5 Ricardo Trogi Denis Villeneuve 4 Philippe Falardeau Robert Morin Kim Nguyen 3 Louis Bélanger Monia Chokri Denis Côté Sophie Dupuis Anne Émond Bernard Émond Maxime Giroux Stéphane Lafleur
See also Canadian Screen Award for Best Director
References