Carole Laganière (1959 - February 6, 2023) was a Canadian film director from Quebec."Carole Laganière, réalisatrice de Jour de congé, est décédée". Ici Radio-Canada, February 6, 2023. Although she made a number of short and feature-length narrative fiction films through her career, she was known principally as a director of documentary films.
Life and career Born and raised in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve quarter of Montreal,"« L'Est pour toujours » prend l'affiche". Ici Radio-Canada, May 12, 2011. she studied film at the Institut national supérieur des arts du spectacle et des techniques de diffusion in Belgium. After making two short films she made her full-length debut with the film Aline in 1992,Charles-Henri Ramond, "Aline – Film de Carole Laganière". Films du Québec, January 2, 2009. and turned to documentary filmmaking while teaching at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi. Her filmmaking career consisted almost entirely of documentary films afterward, except for a brief return to narrative filmmaking with the 2018 short film Uncertain Spring (Un printemps incertain).
She became best known for East End Kids (Vues de l'est) and its sequel East End Forever (L'Est pour toujours), in which she profiled the hopes and dreams of young kids growing up in the same Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighbourhood where she had been raised.Martin Gignac, "Vues de l'Est: une adolescence plus tard". Métro, May 12, 2011. Her other noteworthy films included The Fiancée of Life (La fiancée de la vie), a film about children coping with the deaths of parents which won the Best Canadian Feature Documentary award at the 2002 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival,"Hot Docs prize goes to Montreal director". The Globe and Mail, May 7, 2002. and Absences, about her own mother's battle with Alzheimer's disease and other people coping with the unresolved absence of family connections from their lives.Alexandre Vigneault, "Absences de Carole Laganière: lettre de disparitions". La Presse, August 26, 2013.
In 2015, five of her films were screened in a special retrospective program at Hot Docs.Jason Anderson, "Canadian filmmaker to be showcased at Hot Docs 2015: This year's festival presents a five-film retrospective of Carole Laganiere's work". Toronto Star, April 24, 2015.
Her final film, Break Free (Fuir), about women escaping domestic violence, premiered at the Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma in 2022.Victoria Ahearn, "In brief: Inès among world premieres set for Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma". Playback, April 1, 2022.
Filmography
Awards Award Date of ceremony Category Work Result Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival 2002 Best Canadian Feature Documentary The Fiancée of Life (La fiancée de la vie) 2003 Best Canadian Short or Mid-Length Documentary The Moon and the Violin (Un toit, un violon, la lune) Lindsay Gibb, "Hot docs (4/25-5/4/03)". Take One, Fall 2003. Jutra Awards 2005 Best Documentary Film East End Kids (Vues de l'est) "Cinémascope leads Jutras with nine". Playback, January 31, 2005. Quebec City Film Festival 2013 Public Award, Canadian Film Absences "FCVQ : un film belge remporte les honneurs". Ici Radio-Canada, September 30, 2013.
References
External links