Canadian film and television director
Phil Comeau
CM
ONB
ONS (born 1956) is a
Canadian film and television director, born in
Saulnierville ,
Nova Scotia . He lives in
Moncton, New Brunswick and
Montreal, Quebec .
Biography
Phil Comeau is a film and television director and scriptwriter, based in
Moncton ,
New Brunswick and in
Montreal ,
Quebec . His documentary and drama films have won over 700 awards at film festivals worldwide.
[1]
[2] He has directed films and TV episodes in Canada and in over 20 countries. His films have been translated in 27 languages, and been broadcast in almost 190 countries. A globetrotter, Phil has traveled on all continents and visited over 50 countries.
In drama, he directed and co-wrote the award-winning drama feature film
Jerome's Secret in Canada, and two TV movies
Crash of the Century in France, and
Teen Knight in Romania and the USA. His popular drama series include
Tribu.com (I & II) with viewer ratings in Quebec of 1.3 million,
La Sagouine ,
Lassie ,
Emily of New Moon ,
Pit Pony ,
Les couleurs de mon accent ,
World Legends and the docu-drama series
Mayday broadcast worldwide.
His recent award-winning feature documentaries include
The Secret Order ,
Zachary Richard Cajun Heart ,
Acadian Music Wave ,
Secretariat's Jockey Ron Turcotte , and
The Nature of Frederic Back . He also directed many documentary series.
Comeau has directed and written numerous films about his Acadian culture. Among them, the first independent Acadian drama feature film
Jerome's Secret ,
[3] the first Acadian comedy
The Gossips , the first Acadian children's film
The Hooked Rug of Grand-Pré , and a popular series remake on an iconic Acadian character
La Sagouine .
[4] On the subject of the world Acadian diaspora, he had directed an Acadian feature in Louisiana
Zachary Richard Cajun Heart , a series in Quebec
Les Acadiens du Québec and documentaries in France
Belle-Ile-en-Mer, a Breton and Acadian Island and
Belle-Ile in Acadie .
As an author, he has also published poetry in two books
Plumes d'ictte and
Éloizes , a published film script
Les Gossipeuses , an Acadian dictionary
Le parler Acadjonne , and in 2014 was the editor and co-director of the anthology
Acadie Then and Now , a 500-page collective containing both history and contemporary articles on the world diaspora Acadian, which won the international award
Prix France-Acadie in Paris.
Phil Comeau is a member of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC), the Association des réalisateurs et réalisatrices du Quebec (ARRQ), and the Front des réalisateurs indépendants du Canada (FRIC).
Recognitions
His films and TV series have received over 700 awards at film festivals worldwide. Phil Comeau has received five (5) Orders: he has been appointed a member of the
Order of Canada in 2011;
[5] the
Order of New Brunswick and the
Ordre de la Pléiade from the Assemblée des Parlementaires de la Francophonie in 2016; the distinction of the
Ordre des francophones d'Amérique at the National Assembly in Quebec in 2007; and was promoted to the rank of "Officer" of the
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France in 2022. He also received two
Honorary Doctorats in Arts from the
Université de Moncton , N.B. (2013) and from
Université Sainte-Anne in N.S. (2007); the
Prix Meritas of the Federation acadienne du Quebec in 1999; the
Grand-Pre Award from the Minister of Culture of Nova Scotia in 1997, and the
Prix Champion in Ottawa in 1995. His feature film Zachary Richard, Cajun Heart was presented at the United Nations in Geneva in 2017.
[6] In 2021, Comeau was awarded the Médaille Léger-Comeau, the highest Acadian distinction by the Société Nationale de l'Acadie.
[7] In 2023, he was appointed a member of the
Order of Nova Scotia for "preserving and promoting Acadian culture".
[8]
The Secret Order (L'Ordre secret) won the "People's choice award" at the 2022
Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie .
[9] His next film
Roots, Diaspora & War (Racines, diaspora & guerre) also won the "People's choice award" at the same festival in 2023, and has won over 115 awards at film festivals.
[10]
His film
Belle-Ile in Acadie is the Guinness World Record holder for "Most awards won by a documentary short film" at 458 awards worldwide.
[11]
Filmography
As director
1977: La cabane
1978: The Gossips (Les gossipeuses)
1979: La mer enligne nos terres
1980: Notre côte
1982: J'avions 375 ans
1982: Knock on Wood (Touchons du bois)
1983: A l'image de la mer
1984: La musique nous explique
1984: No Easy Passage
1985: Colds (Rhumes)
1986: The Hooked Rug of Grand-Pré
1987: Le deuxième souffle
1987: Le creux de la vague
1990: La meteo de la mer
1991: Au mitan des iles
1992: The Art of the Street Performer
1993: Paleo World
1993: Archeology
1993: The Sphinx
1993: Hitler's Conspiracy
1993: Petra, the Red City
1993: In Search of the Neanderthal
1993: Who was Cleopatra?
1993: Caesar's Nightmare
1993: Macedonia
1993: A City in the Clouds
1994:
Jerome's Secret
1995:
The New Detectives
1996:
Lassie
1998:
Teen Knight
1998:
Emily of New Moon
1999: Walk on the Wild Side!
2000:
Pit Pony
2001: Chopin: Frederic and Georges (Frédéric et Georges)
2001: Tribu.com I
2002:
Tall Ship Chronicles
2002: Tribu.com II
2003: Barney & Clyde (Bernard et Claude)
2003: Les couleurs de mon accent
2004:
Mayday II (Air Emergency)
2005:
Mayday III (Air Emergency)
2005: The Crash of the Century
2006:
La Sagouine
2007: Risk Takers
2008: Stunt Stars
2009: Nature Above All (La nature avant tout)
2011: Les Acadiens du Québec, avec Fred Pellerin
2012: The Nature of Frederic Back (Frederic Back, grandeur nature)
2013:
Secretariat's Jockey, Ron Turcotte (Ron Turcotte, jockey légendaire)
2015: J'habite ici, au bord de l'eau
2016: Cousins, cousines de la Louisiane
2016: A Breton and Acadian Island (Belle-Île-en-Mer, île bretonne et acadienne)
2016: Zachary Richard, Cajun Heart (Zachary Richard, toujours batailleur)
2018: Acadian Music Wave (Vague d'Acadie)
2019: Belle-Ile in Acadie (Belle-Île en Acadie)
2021: Femmes capitaines
2022:
The Secret Order (L'Ordre secret)
2023:
Roots, diaspora and war (Racines, diaspora et guerre)
As writer
As producer or coproducer
Honors
2023:
Order of Nova Scotia (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
2022:
Officier - Ordre des Arts et Lettres (Paris, France)
2021: Médaille Léger-Comeau, the highest Acadian distinction awarded by the Société Nationale de l'Acadie
[12]
2020: Prix Louisiane-Acadie - 15th Cinema Festival on the Bayou (Lafayette, Louisiana)
2019: Médaille de la Ville de Marennes -10th Festival of Francophone Culture (Marennes, France)
2019:
The Canadian Encyclopedia (
Historica Canada ), Inclusion on list of 30 Famous Francophones in Canada
[13]
2018: Prix Eloize, Acadian Artist Most Illustrated Internationally (New Brunswick, Canada)
2018: Prix du public Radio-Canada / People's Choice for Acadian Artist of the Year (New Brunswick, Canada)
2018: Prix du President, Richelieu International (Canada)
2017: The Canadian Encyclopedia (Historica Canada), Inclusion of biography (Canada)
[14]
2017: United Nations, Presentation of his film "Zachary Richard Cajun Heart" (Geneva, Switzerland)
[14]
2016: Cultural Personality of the Year, Acadie-Nouvelle (New Brunswick, Canada)
2016:
Order of New Brunswick , Gouvernment of New Brunswick (Canada)
[15]
2016:
Order of La Pléiade , Assemblée Parlementaire de la Francophonie (OIF, International)
[14]
2015: Prix France-Acadie Award, Amitiés France-Acadie (Paris, France)
2014: Personality of the week, Radio-Canada & Acadie-Nouvelle (Maritimes, Canada)
2014: Prix Acadie-Québec Award, Bureau atlantique du Quebec & Société national de l'Acadie (New Brunswick, Canada)
[14]
2014: Certificat de mérite, Fédération acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse, Halifax (Nova Scotia, Canada)
[14]
2014: Film Retrospective Phil Comeau, 6 films (Lafayette, Louisiana)
2013: Honorary Doctorat in Arts, Université de Moncton (New Brunswick, Canada)
[14]
2012: Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (Ottawa, Canada)
2011:
Order of Canada (Ottawa)
[16]
2007: Honorary Doctorat in Fine-Arts, Université Sainte-Anne (Nova Scotia, Canada)
[14]
2007:
Ordre des francophones d'Amérique (Quebec, Canada)
[14]
2006:
Chevalier - Ordre des Arts et Lettres (Paris, France)
[14]
1999: Prix Méritas Award, Federation acadienne du Québec (Montréal, Canada)
[14]
1997: Prix Grand-Pré Award, Halifax (Nova Scotia, Canada)
[17]
1995: Prix Champion, Fédération culturelle canadienne-française (Ottawa, Canada)
[14]
References
^ Boudreau, Alexandre (February 21, 2021).
"Le documentaire Belle-Île en Acadie récolte son 100e prix" . L'Acadie nouvelle . Retrieved April 14, 2021 .
^
"Phil Comeau Awards" . IMDb . Retrieved April 15, 2021 .
^
"Le Secret de Jérôme" . elephantcinema.quebec (in French). Retrieved October 31, 2020 .
^
"La Sagouine" . Canadian Cultural Centre – Paris . Retrieved October 31, 2020 .
^
"Nova Scotians become Order of Canada inductees" .
CBC . May 27, 2011. Retrieved April 11, 2018 .
^
"Phil Comeau | The Canadian Encyclopedia" . www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca . Retrieved November 4, 2020 .
^
"La médaille Léger-Comeau accordée à Phil Comeau" . Ici Radio Canada (in French). Retrieved January 28, 2021 .
^ Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia.
"2023 Order of Nova Scotia Recipients Announced" . novascotia.ca . Retrieved November 2, 2023 .
^ Damien Dauphin,
"L’Ordre secret est le film "Coup de cœur" du public au FICFA" .
Le Moniteur Acadien , November 30, 2022.
^
https://www.acadienouvelle.com/arts-et-spectacles/2023/11/28/ficfa-le-film-acadien-racines-diaspora-et-guerre-recompense-par-le-public
^
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/553702-most-awards-won-by-a-documentary-short-film
^ Doiron, Anthony.
"Phil Comeau reçoit la Médaille Léger-Comeau" . Société nationale de l'Acadie . Retrieved April 15, 2021 .
^ Cooper, Celine.
"30 famous francophones" . The Canadian Encyclopedia . Retrieved April 15, 2021 .
^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k Gagnon, Annie Joan.
"Phil Comeau" . The Canadian Encyclopedia . Retrieved April 15, 2021 .
^
"UNB alumni invested into the Order of New Brunswick" . University of New Brunswick . Retrieved April 15, 2021 .
^
"Mr. Phil Comeau" . The Governor General of Canada . Retrieved April 15, 2021 .
^ Comeau, Paul-Émile.
"Phil Comeau" . Capsules acadiennes . Retrieved April 15, 2021 .
External links