Official statement by Carolle Brabant, Executive Director of Telefilm Canada, on the death of André Melançon
Montreal, August 24, 2016 – ” On behalf of Telefilm Canada, I would like to pay tribute to the great filmmaker André Melançon, a director, writer, actor, teacher and humanitarian. He made an outstanding contribution to our film industry, particularly in the area of youth- and family-oriented cinema, gaining an international reputation for his work.
” André Melançon coached improv teams in the Ligue nationale d’improvisation, winning championship titles in 1981, 1982, 1985 and 1995. He was also a founding member of the Institut national de l’Image et du Son, where he served as a highly respected teacher. In short, he was one of our industry’s leading figures, contributing a generous, thoughtful and ever-inquisitive voice.
” The industry marked his achievements in a significant way by awarding him the Prix Hommage at the 2015 Gala du cinéma québécois. The recent hit Snowtime! (La Guerre des tuques 3 D), by Jean-François Pouliot and François Brisson—an animated version of his 1984 cult movie—showed that André Melançon had an enduring influence on our cinema.
” The first movie in producer Rock Demers’ Tales for All series, The Dog Who Stopped the War (La Guerre des tuques) in 1985 won the Bobine d’or award for best box-office performance, the grand prize at the Festival du cinéma jeune public de Laon, the Palme d’Or at the Moscow International Film Festival and the audience award at the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival. André Melançon directed other films in the Tales for All series: Bach and Broccoli (Bach et Bottine), Summer of the Colt (Fierro, et l’été des secrets) and Daniel and the Superdogs (Daniel et les Superdogs). He also co-wrote another successful title in the series, The Tadpole and the Whale (La Grenouille et la Baleine), directed by Jean-Claude Lord.
” His work for television included the series Cher Olivier, winner of nine Gémeaux awards, and a production of Michel Tremblay’s play Albertine, en cinq temps.
” As an actor, André Melançon appeared in some 20 films, including Clément Perron’s Taureau and Partis pour la gloire and Denys Arcand’s Réjeanne Padovani and Poverty and Other Delights (Joyeux Calvaire).
” Our sincere condolences to his partner, the actress Andrée Lachapelle, and to his family. “