Pierre Perrault


Pierre Perrault was a Québécois documentary film director. He directed 20 films between 1963 and 1996. He was one of the most important filmmakers in Canada, although largely unknown outside of Québec. In 1994 he was awarded the Prix Albert-Tessier. Pour la suite du monde, The Times That Are , and The River Schooners make up his critically acclaimed L'Isle-aux-Coudres Trilogy. His film La bête lumineuse screened in the Un Certain Regard section of the 36th Cannes Film Festival.
Perrault originally studied law, before becoming a radio announcer, poet, filmmaker and dramatist. His first involvement with film was on the Au pays neufve France series, which was based on his radio program for Radio-Canada.

Peter Morris on Pierre Perrault

Canadian film historian Peter Morris wrote this about Perrault in his 1984 The Film Companion: "The most famous direct cinema filmmaker in Quebec, who developed a unique 'cinema of speech' that has 'spoken' about Quebec, its land and its people, and that has been at once witness of its past and often prophecy of its future. His approach involves close collaboration with his cinematographers, direct involvement with the people or events, and later, a careful construction of scenes in the editing room. From the 1960s and early 1970s through his later films on Abitibi and First Nations people, he expressed the concept of 'ethnic class' that some feel avoids more basic issues, even though it gave voice to long-buried cultural aspirations."

Filmography