The CALQ awards its prestigious career grants in film to
Mireille Dansereau and Jean Pierre Lefebvre

Montréal, February 28, 2010 – Mireille Dansereau and Jean Pierre Lefebvre are the recipients of $50 000 career grants offered by the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) to film scriptwriters and directors. Yvan Gauthier, Chairman and CEO of the CALQ, made the announcement today at the award ceremony of the 28th Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois.

“By granting these awards to Mireille Dansereau and Jean Pierre Lefebvre, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec is acknowledging, on the one hand, their outstanding contribution to the development and influence of Québec cinema and, on the other hand, the considerable relevance of their current artistic approach and the projects that they submitted,” noted Mr. Gauthier. 

Mireille Dansereau possesses a master’s degree in film and television from the Royal College of Art in London and has been working in film for 40 years. Her films take a sensitive, intelligent look at women’s issues. Among her imposing filmography, La vie rêvée, L’arrache-cœur and Le sourd dans la ville, which won an award at the Venice International Film Festival, and her documentary films J’me marie, j’me marie pas, Les seins dans la tête and Les cheveux en quatre have been acclaimed by critics and the public in Québec and abroad. 

Jean Pierre Lefebvre is an influential independent filmmaker who has written and directed over 45 films that tenderly depict humankind. Les dernières fiançailles, Avoir 16 ans, Le vieux pays où Rimbaud est mort and Les fleurs sauvages, in particular, have marked the history of Québec cinema and enhanced its profile abroad. Moreover, a number of his works have been selected for the Cannes Film Festival. Jean Pierre Lefebvre has also taught scriptwriting, film and cast directing in various Québec universities. 

The Conseil’s career grants are intended to support the projects of artists with over 20 years of professional practice. The jury that selected the recipients of the 2009-2010 career grants in film comprised filmmakers Olivier Asselin, Marquise Lepage and André Melançon. 

For 15 years, the CALQ has supported throughout Québec creation, experimentation and production in the realms of the performing arts, the multidisciplinary arts, the visual arts, the media arts, architectural research, the arts and crafts, and literature and broadened their influence in Québec, Canada and abroad. It also offers grants for up-and-coming artists and writers and supports advanced training for professional artists.

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Information: 
Carl Allen
Director of Public Relations
Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec
Telephone: 514-864-9230 or 1-800-608-3350
(www.calq.gouv.qc.ca)