Bernard Émond

In 1992, Bernard Émond entered the world of cinema through the documentary genre with Those Who Walk Softly Die Without a Trace, a poignant medium-length film that traces the life of a solitary man from the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighbourhood. A trained anthropologist and sensitive humanist, Émond's films document the dissolution of reference points and the loss of ethical values in a changing world. He made four other acclaimed documentaries, including L'épreuve du feu (1997) and Le temps et le lieu (2000), produced by the Coop Vidéo de Montréal, before inaugurating, with The Woman Who Drinks (2001), a work of fiction that would establish his signature as one of the most recognizable in Quebec cinema. The Woman Who Drinks and 8:17 p.m. Darling Street (2003) were selected for Critics' Week in Cannes, while The Novena (2005), Summit Circle (2007) and The Legacy (2009), which form a trilogy on faith, hope and charity, had their world premiere in the official selection of the Locarno Film Festival, where they garnered numerous awards. Bernard Émond's most recent feature films are The Diary of an Old Man (2015) and A Place to Live (2017). All told, his work has been selected for more than 100 film festivals and received some 60 awards and nominations, including a Genie and an Iris award for the screenplay of The Necessities of Life (2008), directed by Benoit Pilon. In addition to his screenplays, several of which have been published, Bernard Émond is the author of two collections of essays published by Lux Éditeur, Il y a trop d'images (2011) and Camarade, ferme ton poste (2017).