{{short description|French Canadian filmmaker (born 1941)}} {{Use Canadian English|date=October 2012}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}} {{Infobox person | image = | image_size = | name = Jean Pierre Lefebvre | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1941|08|17}} | birth_place = [[Montreal]], [[Quebec]], Canada | death_date = | death_place = | other_names = | occupation = [[Film director]]<br>[[Screenwriter]] | years_active = 1965–present | spouse = [[Marguerite Duparc]] (1960s-1982, her death) }}
'''Jean Pierre Lefebvre''' ({{IPA|fr|ʒɑ̃ pjɛʁ ləfɛvʁ|lang}}; born 17 August 1941) is a Canadian filmmaker. He is widely admired as "the godfather of independent Canadian cinema," particularly among young, independent filmmakers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.northernstars.ca/directorsal/lefebvre_jean-pierre.html |title=Jean-Pierre Lefebvre – Northern Stars |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101127195725/http://northernstars.ca/directorsal/lefebvre_jean-pierre.html |archive-date=27 November 2010 }}</ref>
==Biography== Jean Pierre Lefebvre studied literature at the [[University of Montréal]] and taught for two years at the Jesuit-run Loyola College in Montreal (now part of [[Concordia University]]). He began writing as a film critic, first for ''Quartier Latin'', then for ''[[Séquences]]'' and ''[[Objectif]]''.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Morris|first1=Peter|title=The Film Companion|url=https://archive.org/details/filmcompanion0000morr|url-access=registration|date=1984|publisher=Irwin Publishing|location=Toronto|isbn=0-7725-1505-0|pages=[https://archive.org/details/filmcompanion0000morr/page/176 176–177]}}</ref> He directed his first film, a short drama, then three independent features. He joined the [[National Film Board of Canada]] and made two films, including the 1968 feature ''[[My Friend Pierrette]] (Mon amie Pierrette)'', co-starring [[Raôul Duguay]] and produced by [[Clément Perron]].<ref name=pierrette>{{cite web|title=Mon amie Pierrette|url=http://www.nfb.ca/film/Mon_amie_Pierrette|work=Online film|publisher=[[National Film Board of Canada]]|access-date=22 May 2011|language=fr|format=Requires [[Adobe Flash]]}}</ref> Lefebvre was then asked to head the NFB's French-language fiction studio. He began its ''Premières Oeuvres'' series, designed to make low-budget shorts and features. Four features and a number of shorts were produced within a year before the initiative was terminated, and Lefebvre left to form his own production company, Cinak, with his wife and editor, [[Marguerite Duparc]]. He writes and produces all his own films.<ref name = "cfe"/>
Lefebvre was one of the first Canadian filmmakers to receive international acclaim for his work; his film ''[[Don't Let It Kill You]] (Il ne faut pas mourir pour ça)'' (1967) was the first Canadian film to be invited to the [[Cannes Film Festival]].<ref name="cfe">{{cite web|url=http://www.tiff.net/CANADIANFILMENCYCLOPEDIA/content/bios/jean-pierre-lefebvre |title=Canadian Film Encyclopedia – Jean Pierre Lefebvre |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726115536/http://www.tiff.net/CANADIANFILMENCYCLOPEDIA/content/bios/jean-pierre-lefebvre |archive-date=26 July 2011 }}</ref> He proved to be successful again at Cannes when he received the International Critics' Prize for ''[[Wild Flowers (1982 film)|Les fleurs sauvages]]'' (1982) and his film ''[[Le jour S...]]'' (1984) was screened in the [[Un Certain Regard]] section.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/1346/year/1984.html |title=Festival de Cannes: Le jour S...}}</ref> His 1973 film ''[[The Last Betrothal]] (Les dernières fiançailles)'' won the prestigious Prix de l'Organisation catholique internationale du cinéma in 1974.<ref>Charles-Henri Ramond, [https://www.filmsquebec.com/films/dernieres-fiancailles-jean-pierre-lefebvre/ "Dernières fiançailles, Les – Film de Jean Pierre Lefebvre"]. ''Films du Québec'', January 3, 2009.</ref>
''Il ne faut pas mourir pour ça'' (1967), ''[[Le Vieux pays où Rimbaud est mort]]'' (1977), and ''Aujourd'hui ou jamais'' (1997) make up his ''Abel Trilogy''; three feature films starring the recurring character of Abel Gagné played by [[Marcel Sabourin]].
In 1991, he was made an Officer of the [[Order of Canada]] "for his innovative and high-quality feature films".<ref>{{OCC|2890}}</ref> In 1995 he was awarded the [[Prix Albert-Tessier]]. In 2013, Lefebvre received a [[Governor General's Performing Arts Award]].<ref>[http://ggpaa.ca/award-recipients.aspx Governor General's Performing Arts Awards – Award Recipients]</ref>
==Filmography==
===Features=== *''[[The Revolutionary (1965 film)|The Revolutionary]] (Le révolutionnaire)'' – 1965 *''[[Don't Let It Kill You]] (Il ne faut pas mourir pour ça)'' – 1967 *''[[Patricia and Jean-Baptiste]] (Patricia et Jean-Baptiste)'' – 1968 *''[[My Friend Pierrette]] (Mon amie Pierrette)'' – 1969 *''[[Straight to the Heart (1968 film)|Straight to the Heart]] (Jusqu'au coeur)'' – 1969 *''[[The House of Light]] (La chambre blanche)'' – 1969 *''[[Q-Bec My Love]] (Un succès commercial, ou Q-bec My Love)'' – 1970 *''[[Those Damned Savages]] (Les maudits sauvages)'' – 1971 *''[[My Eye]] (Mon œil)'' – 1971 *''[[Ultimatum (1973 film)|Ultimatum]]'' – 1973 *''[[The Last Betrothal]] (Les dernières fiançailles)'' – 1973 *''[[Pigs Are Seldom Clean]] (On n'engraisse pas les cochons à l'eau claire)'' – 1973 *''[[Confidences of the Night]] (L'amour blessé)'' – 1975 *''[[The Man from the Movies]] (Le gars des vues)'' – 1976 *''[[The Old Country Where Rimbaud Died]] (Le vieux pays où Rimbaud est mort)'' – 1977 *''[[To Be Sixteen]] (Avoir 16 ans)'' – 1979 *''[[Wild Flowers (1982 film)|Wild Flowers]] (Les fleurs sauvages)'' – 1982 *''[[Le jour S...]]'' – 1984 *''[[The Box of Sun]] (La boite à soleil)'' – 1988 *''[[The Fabulous Voyage of the Angel]] (Le fabuleux voyage de l'ange)'' – 1991 *''[[Now or Never (1998 film)|Now or Never]] (Aujourd'hui ou jamais)'' – 1998 *''La Route des cieux'' – 2010
===Other work=== *''L'homoman'' (Short film, 1964) *''[[To the Rhythm of My Heart]] (Au rythme de mon coeur)'' (Documentary, 1983) *''Alfred Laliberté sculpteur'' (Documentary, 1987) *''Ensemble'' (Video, 1988) *''Sentiers secrets'' (Video, 1988) *''Laubach Literacy of Canada: The Changing Workplace'' (Documentary short, 1989) *''Atelier altitude'' (Short film, 1993) *''Il était une fois Sabrina et Manu'' (Short film, 1994) *''[[L'Âge des images]]'' (Series of 5 videos, 1994–1995) *''H comme hasard'' (Short film, 1999) (Part of the collective anthology project ''Un abécédaire'') *''[[Preludes (film series)|See You in Toronto]]'' (Short film, 2000) *''Le manuscript érotique'' (TV movie, 2002) *''Mon ami Michel'' (documentary, 2004)
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|id=0498877|name=Jean Pierre Lefebvre}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lefebvre, Jean Pierre}} [[Category:1941 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Canadian film editors]] [[Category:Film producers from Quebec]] [[Category:French-language Canadian screenwriters]] [[Category:Canadian male television actors]] [[Category:Canadian male film actors]] [[Category:Officers of the Order of Canada]] [[Category:Film directors from Montreal]] [[Category:Male actors from Montreal]] [[Category:National Film Board of Canada people]] [[Category:Prix Albert-Tessier winners]] [[Category:Governor General's Award winners]] [[Category:Screenwriters from Montreal]]