Denys Desjardins

Directing

Denys Desjardins

According to the Dictionary of Quebec Cinema, Denys Desjardins is a "jack-of-all-trades filmmaker with an overflowing love of movies that characterizes most of his films." Producer, filmmaker, screenwriter, camera operator, and editor, he has directed many films and websites, both for the private sector and at the National Film Board of Canada.

Acting credits

The Castle poster
8.0

In the not-so-distant future stands a castle where life can be eternally extended, provided that the residents take their pills. At age 88, Madeleine sees herself as the princess of the castle where she'll live "till her dying breath"... until the day that she is forced to leave. Disturbing tale of an endearing woman at the dawn of losing her bearings in a system where every elderly person have to find a place to live.

The Castle

2020

My Eye for a Camera poster
NR

A filmmaker, fascinated by the power of the camera and obsessed with the theories of Russian film pioneer Dziga Vertov, decides to get a camera eye to replace the real eye he lost as a child. The visionary quest begins on the operating table, where a surgeon grafts a prototype ocular implant into his eye socket. Seeking a microscopic camera that could be incorporated into his artificial eye so he could secretly film whatever he sees, the filmmaker explores the futuristic technology that could make this possible, while revisiting chapters of his own past.

My Eye for a Camera

2001

I Lost My Mom poster
NR

With an empathetic and intimate lens, veteran filmmaker Denys Desjardins captures his elderly mother's experience of neglect in Quebec's healthcare system and his sister's fight to secure her an acceptable long-term care solution.

I Lost My Mom

2022

La mer on s’en fout! poster
7.0

Monique and Lussier, two good friends from the street, let themselves go to the rhythm of their little, somewhat gray world. Like a dream that grows in the “slush”, they manage to sail above our heads.

La mer on s’en fout!

1989

Du couteau au fusil poster
10.0

Between the city, the suburbs and the theft of an automobile.

Du couteau au fusil

1990

On the Caribou Trail poster
NR

Meditation on the passage of time, the territory we live in and the ties that bind us. This short film was shot in Quebec in December 2018 between the 48th and 50th parallels.

On the Caribou Trail

2023

Making Movie History: Jacques Drouin poster
NR

Jacques Drouin's artistic trajectory is closely tied to the Alexeïeff-Parker pinscreen. No other filmmaker has employed the device with such dedication since Alexeïeff himself, who created the design in 1931. Consisting of a perforated board with 240,000 adjustable pins, the pinscreen can be manipulated to create evocative moving images.

Making Movie History: Jacques Drouin

2013

Behind the camera

The Castle poster
8.0

In the not-so-distant future stands a castle where life can be eternally extended, provided that the residents take their pills. At age 88, Madeleine sees herself as the princess of the castle where she'll live "till her dying breath"... until the day that she is forced to leave. Disturbing tale of an endearing woman at the dawn of losing her bearings in a system where every elderly person have to find a place to live.

The Castle

2020

The Castle poster
8.0

In the not-so-distant future stands a castle where life can be eternally extended, provided that the residents take their pills. At age 88, Madeleine sees herself as the princess of the castle where she'll live "till her dying breath"... until the day that she is forced to leave. Disturbing tale of an endearing woman at the dawn of losing her bearings in a system where every elderly person have to find a place to live.

The Castle

2020

Almanac poster
NR

In these uncertain times, when Nostradamus and doomsayers are making headlines, this documentary takes a humorous and tongue-in-cheek look at the world of divinatory arts. A fascinating journey into the heart of the unusual, it explores the realms of the paranormal and introduces us to a colorful gallery of characters.

Almanac

1999

Almanac poster
NR

In these uncertain times, when Nostradamus and doomsayers are making headlines, this documentary takes a humorous and tongue-in-cheek look at the world of divinatory arts. A fascinating journey into the heart of the unusual, it explores the realms of the paranormal and introduces us to a colorful gallery of characters.

Almanac

1999

The Private Life of Cinema poster
NR

A two-part in-depth exploration of the evolution of the private film industry, seen through the eyes of more than 50 industry professionals. Part One (1939-1979) : Artists and professionals from the social and commercial film sectors recount the struggle to build a film industry that is privately operated yet publicly funded. Part Two (1980-2010) : Executives, policymakers, and industry professionals trace the origins of the major funding institutions and discuss the unintended consequences of building a cultural industry around performance metrics, revenue generation, and private profit.

The Private Life of Cinema

2011

The Private Life of Cinema poster
NR

A two-part in-depth exploration of the evolution of the private film industry, seen through the eyes of more than 50 industry professionals. Part One (1939-1979) : Artists and professionals from the social and commercial film sectors recount the struggle to build a film industry that is privately operated yet publicly funded. Part Two (1980-2010) : Executives, policymakers, and industry professionals trace the origins of the major funding institutions and discuss the unintended consequences of building a cultural industry around performance metrics, revenue generation, and private profit.

The Private Life of Cinema

2011

The Private Life of Cinema poster
NR

A two-part in-depth exploration of the evolution of the private film industry, seen through the eyes of more than 50 industry professionals. Part One (1939-1979) : Artists and professionals from the social and commercial film sectors recount the struggle to build a film industry that is privately operated yet publicly funded. Part Two (1980-2010) : Executives, policymakers, and industry professionals trace the origins of the major funding institutions and discuss the unintended consequences of building a cultural industry around performance metrics, revenue generation, and private profit.

The Private Life of Cinema

2011

From Office to Box-Office poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

From Office to Box-Office

2009

From Office to Box-Office poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

From Office to Box-Office

2009

Being Human poster
NR

Zoom-out from a too-tight focus on problems like dropout rates, loss of motivation among students, and depression among teachers. Entering the daily lives of "problem cases" at a Montreal secondary school that sits at the bottom of the school performance rankings, Denys Desjardins sweeps away preconceptions about the quality of teaching in disadvantaged neighbourhoods and the alleged delinquency of the kids who live there. A far-reaching examination of student life that stimulates reflection on the role of school in our society and asks how willing we are to support and finance the school system so that it will not be merely a factory churning out parts for the social machine.

Being Human

2005

My Eye for a Camera poster
NR

A filmmaker, fascinated by the power of the camera and obsessed with the theories of Russian film pioneer Dziga Vertov, decides to get a camera eye to replace the real eye he lost as a child. The visionary quest begins on the operating table, where a surgeon grafts a prototype ocular implant into his eye socket. Seeking a microscopic camera that could be incorporated into his artificial eye so he could secretly film whatever he sees, the filmmaker explores the futuristic technology that could make this possible, while revisiting chapters of his own past.

My Eye for a Camera

2001

Against Time and Oblivion poster
NR

One of the most intimate and obstinate filmmakers in Belgium, Boris Lehman acts, directs, produces, and distributes his films, single-handedly incarnating the essence of a creator who manages to survive on the fringes of his industry. From Brussels to Paris, friends, filmmakers and critics offer their understanding of a man for whom life is a reason to film, and film, a reason to live.

Against Time and Oblivion

1997

Against Time and Oblivion poster
NR

One of the most intimate and obstinate filmmakers in Belgium, Boris Lehman acts, directs, produces, and distributes his films, single-handedly incarnating the essence of a creator who manages to survive on the fringes of his industry. From Brussels to Paris, friends, filmmakers and critics offer their understanding of a man for whom life is a reason to film, and film, a reason to live.

Against Time and Oblivion

1997

Against Time and Oblivion poster
NR

One of the most intimate and obstinate filmmakers in Belgium, Boris Lehman acts, directs, produces, and distributes his films, single-handedly incarnating the essence of a creator who manages to survive on the fringes of his industry. From Brussels to Paris, friends, filmmakers and critics offer their understanding of a man for whom life is a reason to film, and film, a reason to live.

Against Time and Oblivion

1997

I Lost My Mom poster
NR

With an empathetic and intimate lens, veteran filmmaker Denys Desjardins captures his elderly mother's experience of neglect in Quebec's healthcare system and his sister's fight to secure her an acceptable long-term care solution.

I Lost My Mom

2022

I Lost My Mom poster
NR

With an empathetic and intimate lens, veteran filmmaker Denys Desjardins captures his elderly mother's experience of neglect in Quebec's healthcare system and his sister's fight to secure her an acceptable long-term care solution.

I Lost My Mom

2022

The Great Resistance poster
NR

In the 1930s, in the throes of the Great Depression, the government relocated more than 80,000 citizens to found a new settlement in the virgin forests of Quebec's Abitibi region. After enduring backbreaking work to clear the land, however, many left, seeking a better life in the city or as labourers for the large corporations that had come to exploit the North's valuable resources. The Lalancette family, however, have persisted in forging their future on the land from one generation to the next, earning their keep from farming, and defying the constraints of globalization and the mining and forestry companies that control the area. Revisiting the heritage of Quebec filmmakers who documented Abitibi, following in the footsteps of Pierre Perrault, among others, this documentary traces a defining chapter of Quebec history and raises fundamental questions about regional development.

The Great Resistance

2007

The Great Resistance poster
NR

In the 1930s, in the throes of the Great Depression, the government relocated more than 80,000 citizens to found a new settlement in the virgin forests of Quebec's Abitibi region. After enduring backbreaking work to clear the land, however, many left, seeking a better life in the city or as labourers for the large corporations that had come to exploit the North's valuable resources. The Lalancette family, however, have persisted in forging their future on the land from one generation to the next, earning their keep from farming, and defying the constraints of globalization and the mining and forestry companies that control the area. Revisiting the heritage of Quebec filmmakers who documented Abitibi, following in the footsteps of Pierre Perrault, among others, this documentary traces a defining chapter of Quebec history and raises fundamental questions about regional development.

The Great Resistance

2007

The Zone poster
NR

Looking for a long lost friend, Madeleine talks to a Stalker so that he can take her to «the zone» and help her look into her memories to find him at last. Essay-film hommage to Chris Marker.

The Zone

2017

The Zone poster
NR

Looking for a long lost friend, Madeleine talks to a Stalker so that he can take her to «the zone» and help her look into her memories to find him at last. Essay-film hommage to Chris Marker.

The Zone

2017

The Zone poster
NR

Looking for a long lost friend, Madeleine talks to a Stalker so that he can take her to «the zone» and help her look into her memories to find him at last. Essay-film hommage to Chris Marker.

The Zone

2017

On the Caribou Trail poster
NR

Meditation on the passage of time, the territory we live in and the ties that bind us. This short film was shot in Quebec in December 2018 between the 48th and 50th parallels.

On the Caribou Trail

2023

On the Caribou Trail poster
NR

Meditation on the passage of time, the territory we live in and the ties that bind us. This short film was shot in Quebec in December 2018 between the 48th and 50th parallels.

On the Caribou Trail

2023

Making Movie History: Jacques Drouin poster
NR

Jacques Drouin's artistic trajectory is closely tied to the Alexeïeff-Parker pinscreen. No other filmmaker has employed the device with such dedication since Alexeïeff himself, who created the design in 1931. Consisting of a perforated board with 240,000 adjustable pins, the pinscreen can be manipulated to create evocative moving images.

Making Movie History: Jacques Drouin

2013