{{short description|Canadian film producer (born 1942)}} {{Infobox person |name = Lyse Lafontaine |image = |caption = |birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1942}} |birth_place = |occupation = Film producer |alma_mater = Université de Montréal |awards = Prix Iris Hommage }} '''Lyse Lafontaine''' (born 1942<ref name="BFI"/>) is a Canadian film producer known for working with directors Jean-Claude Lauzon and Xavier Dolan.<ref name="Dillon">{{Cite web|url=http://playbackonline.ca/2015/03/09/playback-canadian-film-tv-hall-of-fame-lyse-lafontaine/ |title=Playback Canadian Film & TV Hall of Fame: Lyse Lafontaine |last=Dillon |first=Mark |date=9 March 2015 |access-date=25 August 2016 |work=Playback}}</ref><ref name="Petrowski">{{Cite web|url=http://www.lapresse.ca/cinema/cinema-quebecois/entrevues/201706/01/01-5103445-lyse-lafontaine-la-missionnaire-aventuriere-du-cinema.php |title=Lyse Lafontaine: la missionnaire aventurière du cinéma |last=Petrowski |first=Nathalie |authorlink=Nathalie Petrowski |date=1 June 2017 |access-date=5 June 2017 |work=La Presse}}</ref><ref name="Demers">{{Cite web|url=http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2017/05/20/un-prix-hommage-pour-lyse-lafontaine |title=Un prix hommage pour Lyse Lafontaine |last=Demers |first=Maxime |date=20 May 2017 |access-date=5 June 2017 |work=Le Journal de Montréal}}</ref> She works at Lyla Films in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.<ref name="Dillon"/>
==Early life== Born to ''La Presse'' reporter Gaston Lafontaine,<ref name="Petrowski"/> Lyse studied literature at the Université de Montréal and earned her degree.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ledevoir.com/culture/actualites-culturelles/498455/le-prix-iris-hommage-decerne-a-la-productrice-lyse-lafontaine |title=Le prix Iris Hommage décerné à la productrice Lyse Lafontaine |last= |first= |date=11 May 2017 |access-date=5 June 2017 |work=Le Devoir}}</ref> She married Stéphane Venne and managed the rock band Offenbach in 1972. She became a stage manager on the 1974 film ''The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz'', and married her second husband, moving to The Bahamas for two years before returning to Canada.<ref name="Petrowski"/>
==Career== In 1976, Lafontaine served as location manager for the film ''The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane'', starring Jodie Foster.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=56110 |title=The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane |access-date=5 June 2017 |work=American Film Institute}}</ref> Lafontaine met Lauzon when he was pitching his screenplay for ''Léolo'' (1992), which other producers had rejected.<ref name="Dillon"/> It became the first film she produced,<ref name="Demers"/> with Aimée Danis, for which they were nominated for the Genie Award for Best Motion Picture. While in Italy during filming, Lauzon gave Lafontaine a letter thanking her for her ineptitude in business, which he considered necessary to make a film with feeling. She kept it as a cherished keepsake.<ref name="Petrowski"/>
Working with Dolan, she produced ''Laurence Anyways'' (2012) and served as an associate producer for ''Mommy'' (2014).<ref name="Dillon"/> Dolan's ''Laurence Anyways'' was inspired by Lafontaine's ex-girlfriend Luce Baillairgé, the mother of her son Mikaël, who had a small part in ''Léolo''.<ref name="Petrowski"/> With Dolan, she personally traveled to London in 2017 to work on his ''The Death and Life of John F. Donovan''.<ref name="Demers"/>
In 2015, Lafontaine produced ''La Passion d’Augustine'' with François Tremblay,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/movies/two-very-canadian-movie-nights-at-rideau-hall |title=Two very Canadian movie nights at Rideau Hall |last=Simpson |first=Peter |date=20 August 2015 |access-date=27 August 2016 |work=The Ottawa Citizen}}</ref> winning the Québec Cinéma Award for Best Film.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://playbackonline.ca/2016/03/21/la-passion-daugustine-wins-big-at-le-gala-due-cinema-quebecois/ |title=La passion d'augustine wins big at Le gala du cinema Quebecois |author=Staff |work=Playback |date=21 March 2016 |access-date=3 February 2017}}</ref> On 1 June 2017 at the 19th Quebec Cinema Awards, she was awarded the Iris Hommage for 30 years of contributions to Quebec cinema.<ref name="Press">{{Cite web|url=http://www.lapresse.ca/cinema/ceremonies/201706/01/01-5103611-gala-des-artisans-quebec-cinema-juste-la-fin-du-monde-obtient-trois-prix-iris.php |title=Gala des artisans Québec Cinéma: Juste La Fin du monde obtient trois prix Iris |last=The Canadian Press |date=1 June 2017 |access-date=2 June 2017 |work=La Presse}}</ref>
==Filmography== Her films include:<ref name="BFI">{{Cite web|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2bac0eb084 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170524163507/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2bac0eb084 |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 24, 2017 |title=Lyse Lafontaine |last= |first= |date= |access-date=24 May 2017 |work=British Film Institute}}</ref> {{div col|colwidth=30em}} * ''The Decline of the American Empire'' (1986) * ''Jesus of Montreal'' (1989) * ''Léolo'' (1992) * ''A Sunday in Kigali'' (2006) * ''Mommy Is at the Hairdresser's'' (2009) * ''Barney's Version'' (2010) * ''Laurence Anyways'' (2012) * ''Mommy'' (2014) * ''Love Project'' (2014) * ''The Passion of Augustine'' (2015) * ''A Bag of Marbles'' (2017) * ''Worst Case, We Get Married'' (2017) * ''The Death and Life of John F. Donovan'' (2018) * ''Hotel Silence'' (2024) {{div col end}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb name|0480972}} *[http://www.lylafilms.com/lacompagnie/lyse-lafontaine/ Lyse Lafontaine] at Lyla Films
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lafontaine, Lyse}} Category:1942 births Category:Film producers from Quebec Category:Canadian music managers Category:Canadian women film producers Category:Living people Category:Mass media people from Montreal Category:Université de Montréal alumni