# Night Zoo

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Night_Zoo
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Night_Zoo.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_Zoo
> Source revision: 1341768801
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

1987 Canadian film by Jean-Claude Lauzon

Night Zoo Film poster French Un Zoo la nuit Directed by Jean-Claude Lauzon Written by Jean-Claude Lauzon Produced by Roger Frappier Pierre Gendron Starring Gilles Maheu Lynne Adams Roger Lebel Cinematography Guy Dufaux Edited by Michel Arcand Music by Jean Corriveau Distributed by FilmDallas (US theatrical) Release date May 1987 (1987-05) (Cannes) Running time 115 minutes Country Canada Language French Box office 1.3 million CAD

***Night Zoo*** ([French](/source/French_language): ***Un Zoo la nuit***) is a 1987 Canadian film. It is [directed](/source/Film_director) and [written](/source/Screenwriter) by [Jean-Claude Lauzon](/source/Jean-Claude_Lauzon). It made its debut at the [1987 Cannes Film Festival](/source/1987_Cannes_Film_Festival). The film was selected as the Canadian entry for the [Best Foreign Language Film](/source/Academy_Award_for_Best_Foreign_Language_Film) at the [60th Academy Awards](/source/60th_Academy_Awards), but was not accepted as a nominee.[1]

It was also the most successful film in the history of the [Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television](/source/Academy_of_Canadian_Cinema_and_Television)'s film awards program up to that point, winning a record 13 [Genie Awards](/source/Genie_Awards) in every single category where it was nominated.[2] The film garnered 14 nominations overall;[3] the film's only nomination that failed to translate into a win was [Gilles Maheu](/source/Gilles_Maheu)'s nod for Best Actor, as he lost to the film's other Best Actor nominee, [Roger Lebel](/source/Roger_Lebel).

## Plot

Marcel (Gilles Maheu) is released from [prison](/source/Prison) after completing a two year sentence for narcotics crime, hoping to reconcile with his dying father, Albert (Roger Lebel), who seems to believe his son has been away on a vacation. His former girlfriend Julie (Lynne Adams) is now working in a [sex club](/source/Sex_club) [peep show](/source/Peep_show). When he returns home, he is soon visited by a pair of dishonest police detectives who demand $200,000 in cash that they believe he still possesses from his earlier activity. One of the detectives, George (Lorne Brass) is a homosexual steeped in sadism, who frequently uses violence to attempt to break him. Amidst the threats he navigates, Marcel and Albert repair their relationship, culminating in an after hours break-in at a local zoo.

## Reception

### Box office

The film grossed $1 million in Quebec within three months of its release.[4]

### Awards

The film won the most [Genie Awards](/source/Genie_Awards) in history, with thirteen awards.[4] [Gilles Maheu](/source/Gilles_Maheu) and [Roger Lebel](/source/Roger_Lebel) were both nominated for [best actor](/source/Canadian_Screen_Award_for_Best_Actor).[5][6] Lebel won the 1987 [Prix Guy-L'Écuyer](/source/Prix_Guy-L'%C3%89cuyer) for *Un Zoo la nuit*.[7]

In 1987, the film won the Grand Prix for Best Film at [Film Fest Gent](/source/Film_Fest_Gent).

### Accolades

Its record 14 Genie Award nominations were tied by the film *[Brother](/source/Brother_(2022_film))* at the [11th Canadian Screen Awards](/source/11th_Canadian_Screen_Awards) in 2023, although that film fell one award short of matching *Night Zoo*'s 13 wins. Its records in both nominations and wins were surpassed at the [12th Canadian Screen Awards](/source/12th_Canadian_Screen_Awards) in 2024 by *[BlackBerry](/source/BlackBerry_(film))*, which took 14 awards from 17 overall nominations.

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref. Genie Awards 22 March 1988 Best Picture Roger Frappier, Pierre Gendron Won [5] Best Director Jean-Claude Lauzon Won Best Screenplay Jean-Claude Lauzon Won Best Actor Roger Lebel Won Gilles Maheu Nominated [6] Best Supporting Actor Germain Houde Won [5] Best Art Direction or Production Design Jean-Baptiste Tard Won Best Cinematography Guy Dufaux Won Best Costume Design Andrée Morin Won Best Editing Michel Arcand Won Best Overall Sound Adrian Croll Hans Peter Strobl Yvon Benoît Won Best Sound Editing Viateur Paiement Marcel Pothier Diane Boucher Won Best Music Score Jean Corriveau Won Best Original Song Jean-Pierre Bonin Daniel De Shaimes Jean Corriveau Robert Stanley Won

## Availability

The film was released on videocassette and laserdisc in the United States in 1988 by [New World](/source/New_World) and in Canada that same year by Cinema Plus Video. In 1991, an EP-Mode tape of the film was released by Starmaker Video. After Lauzon was killed in the northern Quebec plane crash in 1997, [CBC Television](/source/CBC_Television), [Télé-Québec](/source/T%C3%A9l%C3%A9-Qu%C3%A9bec) and [Showcase](/source/Showcase_(Canadian_TV_channel)) aired *Night Zoo* and *[Léolo](/source/L%C3%A9olo)* in August.[8] The film was released on blu ray and DVD in France as of September 2025. It was digitized and restored in May 2013 by Éléphant and is available for online rental on the [iTunes Store](/source/ITunes_Store).

## See also

- [List of submissions to the 60th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film](/source/List_of_submissions_to_the_60th_Academy_Awards_for_Best_Foreign_Language_Film)

- [List of Canadian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film](/source/List_of_Canadian_submissions_for_the_Academy_Award_for_Best_Foreign_Language_Film)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** "It was Un Zoo's night; Quebec film wins record 13 Genies". *[Montreal Gazette](/source/Montreal_Gazette)*, March 23, 1988.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** "Night Zoo thriller sets Genie record; Lauzon film wins 14 nominations". *[Ottawa Citizen](/source/Ottawa_Citizen)*, February 17, 1988.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMelnyk2004201-202_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMelnyk2004201-202_4-1) [Melnyk 2004](#CITEREFMelnyk2004), p. 201-202.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-genie_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-genie_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-genie_5-2) ["All The Genie Winners"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun/137070814/). *[Vancouver Sun](/source/Vancouver_Sun)*. 23 March 1988. p. F5. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20231219162752/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun/137070814/) from the original on 19 December 2023 – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-genie2_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-genie2_6-1) ["Quebec's brutal Night Zoo thriller wins 13 awards but glory fades 'if all Canada can't see our films'"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-colonist/137071152/). *[Times Colonist](/source/Times_Colonist)*. 23 March 1988. p. B11. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20231219163234/https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-colonist/137071152/) from the original on 19 December 2023 – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-:0_7-0)** Coulombe, Michel; Jean, Marcel (2006). *Le Dictionnaire du cinéma québécois* (in French) (4th ed.). Boréal. p. 606. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [2-7646-0427-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/2-7646-0427-0).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Playback Staff, "[Industry mourns Lauzon, Tougas](http://playbackonline.ca/1997/08/25/18631-19970825/)," *[Playback](/source/Playback_(magazine))*, 25 August 1997, URL accessed 26 August 2016.

## Works cited

- [Melnyk, George](/source/George_Melnyk) (2004). [*One Hundred Years of Canadian Cinema*](https://archive.org/details/onehundredyearso0000meln). [University of Toronto Press](/source/University_of_Toronto_Press). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [080203568X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/080203568X).

## External links

- [*Night Zoo*](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094210/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier))

- [*Night Zoo*](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/night_zoo) at [Rotten Tomatoes](/source/Rotten_Tomatoes)

v t e Canadian Screen Award for Best Motion Picture Canadian Film Awards 1949–1975: Film of the Year The Loon's Necklace (1949) Newfoundland Scene (1952) Tit-Coq (1953) The Seasons (1954) The Stratford Adventure (1955) City of Gold (1958) Universe (1961) Lonely Boy (1963) Pour la suite du monde (1964) The Mills of the Gods: Viet Nam (1966) Warrendale (1967) A Place to Stand (1968) The Best Damn Fiddler from Calabogie to Kaladar (1969) To See or Not to See (1970) The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974) Les Ordres (1975) Canadian Film Awards 1964–1978: Feature Film À tout prendre (1964) The Luck of Ginger Coffey (1965) Astataïon, ou Le Festin des morts (1966) Warrendale (1967) The Ernie Game (1968) No Award (1969) Goin' Down the Road (1970) Mon oncle Antoine (1971) Wedding in White (1972) Slipstream (1973) No Award (1974) Les Ordres (1975) Lies My Father Told Me (1976) J.A. Martin photographe (1977) The Silent Partner (1978) Genie Awards 1980–2011 The Changeling (1980) Les Bons débarras (1981) Ticket to Heaven (1982) The Grey Fox (1983) The Terry Fox Story (1984) The Bay Boy (1985) My American Cousin (1986) Le Déclin de l'empire américain (1987) Un Zoo la nuit (1988) Dead Ringers (1989) Jésus de Montréal (1990) Black Robe (1991) Naked Lunch (1992) Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993) Exotica (1994) Le Confessionnal (1995) Lilies (1996) The Sweet Hereafter (1997) The Red Violin (1998) Sunshine (1999) Maelström (2000) Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (2001) Ararat (2002) Les Invasions barbares (2003) Les Triplettes de Belleville (2004) C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005) Bon Cop, Bad Cop (2006) Away from Her (2007) Passchendaele (2008) Polytechnique (2009) Incendies (2010) Monsieur Lazhar (2011) Canadian Screen Awards 2012–present Rebelle (2012) Gabrielle (2013) Mommy (2014) Room (2015) Juste la fin du monde (2016) Maudie (2017) Une colonie (2018) Antigone (2019) Beans (2020) Scarborough (2021) Brother (2022) BlackBerry (2023) The Apprentice (2024) Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie (2025)

v t e Montreal World Film Festival Award for Best Canadian Film Tyler (1978) Arthur Miller on Home Ground (1979) It Can't Be Winter, We Haven't Had Summer Yet (1980) The Plouffe Family (1981) The Grey Fox (1982) The Tin Flute (1983) A Woman in Transit (1984) Pale Face (1985) Sitting in Limbo (1986) Night Zoo (1987) Obsessed (1988) Looking for Eternity (1989) An Imaginary Tale (1990) The Savage Woman (1991) Phantom Life (1992) The Sex of the Stars (1993) The Wind from Wyoming (1994) Water Child (1995) Lilies (1996) The Caretaker's Lodge (1997) 2 Seconds (1998) Memories Unlocked (1999) Maelström (2000) Tar Angel (2001) Chaos and Desire (2002) Gaz Bar Blues (2003) The Five of Us (2004) Kamataki (2005) The Chinese Botanist's Daughters (2006) Surviving My Mother (2007) The Necessities of Life (2008) A Cargo to Africa (2009) Silence Lies (2010) Coteau rouge (2011) Karakara (2012) Another House (2013) Sweeping Forward (2014)

v t e Canadian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film Mon oncle Antoine (1971) The True Nature of Bernadette (1972) Les Ordres (1975) J.A. Martin Photographer (1977) A Scream from Silence (1979) Good Riddance (1980) The Plouffe Family (1981) Wild Flowers (1982) The Tin Flute (1983) Sonatine (1984) Jacques and November (1985) The Decline of the American Empire (1986) Night Zoo (1987) The Revolving Doors (1988) Jesus of Montreal (1989) An Imaginary Tale (1990) A Bullet in the Head (1991) Léolo (1992) The Sex of the Stars (1993) My Friend Max (1994) The Confessional (1995) Not Me! (1996) Cosmos (1997) August 32nd on Earth (1998) Set Me Free (1999) Maelström (2000) Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (2001) Soft Shell Man (2002) The Barbarian Invasions (2003) Far Side of the Moon (2004) C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005) Water (2006) Days of Darkness (2007) The Necessities of Life (2008) I Killed My Mother (2009) Incendies (2010) Monsieur Lazhar (2011) War Witch (2012) Gabrielle (2013) Mommy (2014) Felix and Meira (2015) It's Only the End of the World (2016) Hochelaga, Land of Souls (2017) Family First (2018) Antigone (2019) 14 Days, 12 Nights (2020) Drunken Birds (2021) Eternal Spring (2022) Rojek (2023) Universal Language (2024) The Things You Kill (2025)

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Night Zoo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_Zoo) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_Zoo?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.